US still growing; SA in the dark

The US nonfarm payroll figure increases by 312 000, the largest growth in 10 months. This brings the 2018 payrolls gain to 2.64 million. Average hourly earnings rise 3.2% from a year earlier, matching the fastest pace since 2009.

Amazon overtakes Microsoft to become the world’s largest company in terms of market capitalisation. Alphabet is at third place and Apple has fallen from first to fourth place.

The IMF predicts the global economy will grow at 3.5% in 2019 and 3.6% in 2020, down 0.2 and 0.1 percentage point respectively from October’s forecasts.

Annual headline consumer price inflation moderates to 4.5% for December due mainly to a drop in the fuel price. This is down from November’s 5.2% and exactly at the Reserve Bank’s target level.

US unemployment benefits fall to the lowest level since 1969.

The Fed leaves rates unchanged, as expected, and signals that it will slow down its pace of interest rate hikes.

German factory orders unexpectedly drops for a second month, stoking fears of a looming recession.

House prices in the UK fall 2.9% in January and the annual growth rate slows to 0.8% as Brexit fears put off buyers.

SA’s unemployment rate drops to 27.1% at the end of 2018. There are now 16.5m employed people and 6.1m unemployed people between the ages of 15 and 64 years in SA.

The South African Trade Activity Index is at its lowest level since inception of the survey in 2000. The previous lowest level for the Index was 32 in April 2009, just after the great financial crisis.

Tongaat Hulett’s share price plunges to its worst level since 1993, after announcing that headline earnings in the year to March will probably fall by at least 250%.

South Africa‘s economy expands by 1.4% in the final quarter of 2018, helped by growth in agriculture and manufacturing. This brings the total growth for 2018 to 0.8%.

The US non-farm payroll number indicates 20 000 jobs were created in February.

Pharmeceutical company Aspen’s share price drops to a seven-year low as the deal to sell its infant-formula business drags on, blocking cash flow.

More than two thirds of SA businesses surveyed are now dissatisfied with current conditions. Sentiment among retailers and builders fell the most.

Steinhoff releases a summary of audit firm PWC’s 3 000-page report on its probe into the alleged fraud and corruption that led to the collapse of the company’s share price in December 2017.

Tropical cyclone Idai in Mozambique plunges South Africa into stage 4 load-shedding.

South African consumer inflation stands at 4.1% year-on-year - in line with expectations.

The Treasury yield curve inverts for the first time since the great financial crisis. A yield curve inversion is widely regarded as a potential sign of an impending recession and rate-cutting cycle.

Similar to last year, Turkey finds itself in a currency crunch amid the central bank’s suspension of one-week repo auctions in an attempt to squeeze liquidity in the market. The average cost of funding in Turkey surges to a near record.

Naspers announces that it will seperately list its internet businesses, including Tencent, in Amsterdam. This should unlock value for investors.

Employment in SA's non-agricultural formal sector grows by 87 000 between September and December 2018.

After three historic defeats and a parliamentary rejection on every alternative Brexit proposal, the UK government is fractured and a no-deal Brexit remains the default.