Events that moved the market 2016

Trades in Chinese stocks are suspended after a 7% rout triggers the circuit breaker.

Rand collapses to record R17.92 against the dollar after turmoil in China causes an emerging market sell-off.

Global beer brewing giant AB InBev lists on the JSE at R1 938 a share.

Brent crude slides to below $28 a barrel – hitting a new 12-year low.

The SA Reserve Bank raises the repo rate by 50bps to 6.75% p.a.

In a surprise move, the Bank of Japan cuts its short-term bank deposit rate to negative, similar to Switzerland in 2015.

Moody’s, following in the footsteps of S&P and Fitch, also downgrades Brazil’s government bonds to junk status.

News leaks that Barclays will exit its African business.

News that Old Mutual may unbundle its businesses and restructure significantly boosts the JSE.

China reports the largest decline in exports since May 2009.

European stocks fall shortly after two suicide bombings kill several at Brussels airport.

US jobless claim figures show unemployment is near a 4-decade low.

Annual CPI to end April clocks in at 6.2%. Vegetable prices have risen a staggering 24.4% y/y.

Prices are 0.1% lower in May than a year earlier.

GDP contracts an annualised 1.2% in the first quarter of 2016.

Germany’s highest court decides an ECB scheme to buy troubled states’ bonds in secondary markets is constitutional. 30-Year German bond rates fall to their lowest level on record.

British voters’ surprise decision (52% majority) to leave the European Union creates havoc in international markets. Cameron resigns as prime minister.

The SA Reserve Bank revises its growth forecast for 2016 down to 0%.

Fitch downgrades SA’s local-currency debt rating to bring it in line with its foreign-currency rating – one notch above junk.

The Bank of England cuts interest rates and restarts bond purchases to mitigate the impact of Brexit.

All three major US indices - the Dow Jones, S&P 500 and Nasdaq – reach a fresh high on the same day.

Futuregrowth suspends further loans to Eskom, Transnet, Sanral, Landbank, IDC and DBSA after concern over the new government structure to oversee all state-owned enterprises (SOEs).

Nigeria's GDP shrinks by 2.06% in Q2, officially marking a recession. The non-oil sector fell due to a weaker currency while lower oil prices are dragging down the oil sector.

Anheuser-Busch InBev completes the merger with SABMiller. AB InBev has been dissolved.

National Treasury revises its 2016 growth forecast for SA down to 0.5%.

The UK’s 0.5% growth rate in the three months after the vote to exit the EU is faster than forecast.

The NPA drops charges against minister Pravin Gordhan, Oupa Magashula and Ivan Pillay.

Global markets reel as Donald Trump wins the US presidential elections.

SA unemployment rises to 27.1% in Q3 2016. This means 5.9m South Africans are currently without work — the highest number since 2003.

Investors sell almost $5bn of bonds in Asia's local-currency debt markets in the week following Trump's victory.

Standard & Poor's downgrades South Africa's local debt by one notch to BBB, still two notches above junk.

Eurozone unemployment unexpectedly declined in October to the lowest level in more than seven years.

Prime Minister Matteo Renzi is voted out of power in a referendum on constitutional reform, resulting in Renzi announcing his retirement.

SA ekes out GDP growth of only 0.2% in Q3 2016, with mining, finance, real estate, business services and general government services being the main contributors.

The European Central Bank (ECB) announces that it will extend stimulus beyond March 2017 but plans to slow the pace of bond purchases in April.

The Dow, the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq all reach fresh records after the ECB’s announcement.

A total of 93 000 jobs are created in Q3 2016. These were mainly in the community and social services, and in institutions such as technikons.

The US raises the federal funds rate for only the second time in a decade.

Europe's main stocks retreat on worries over Italy's troubled bank Monte dei Paschi di Siena.