Talk Cents
Fintech/banking analyst writing on payments, banking M&A, digital banking strategy, and regulation (e.g., South Africa, Capitec/Walletdoc).
Thailand's Trade Deficit Offset by Tourism‑driven Current Surplus
Thailand is bleeding cash on physical goods, but it is making just enough back through tourism and services to keep the overall balance positive. i.e. Current account. Additionally, Thailand’s import of around 300 billion baht worth of gold in the first quarter helped push the country into a trade deficit. This means the trade balance is negative, but overall, the current account is in surplus. Moreover,
DRC and Nigeria Lead African Currency Gains
Here is how the TOP African Currencies have performed against the US dollar over the past year: 🇿🇦South Africa: +8.67% 🟢 🇪🇬Egypt: -6.25% 🔴 🇳🇬Nigeria: +17.05% 🟢 🇩🇿Algeria: -0.1% 🔴 🇲🇦Morocco: -2.38% 🔴 🇦🇴Angola: -0.65% 🔴 🇰🇪Kenya: -0.64% 🔴 🇨🇩DRC: +25.65% 🟢 🇪🇹Ethiopia: -13.5% 🔴 🇬🇭Ghana: +8.30% 🟢 🇨🇮Côte d'Ivoire:...
Electricity Prices Soar 987% as Supply Shrinks
Minister of Electricity and Energy, Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, says electricity prices in the country have risen exponentially. He adds that between 2007 and 2023, electricity prices increased by 987%. Here is the kicker; At the same time electricity prices were rising,...
Separate Fiscal and Monetary Policies Fuel Economic Stagnation
The current government doesn’t have a plan because they treat monetary and fiscal policy as two separates. 🇿🇦 Without treating fiscal and monetary policies as a single, integrated toolkit that achieves the state's economic goals, then stagnation will persist.
South Africa Unemployment Spikes to 32.7%, 345k Jobs Lost
South Africa's official unemployment rate rises to 32.7% in Q1. A total of 345 000 jobs were lost in the first three months of 2026.
R100 Buys Fewer Apples: Nominal vs Real Value
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗵 𝗔𝗳𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗥𝟭𝟬𝟬 𝗡𝗼𝘁𝗲 This R100 today buys me 15 apples, but this same R100 five years from now will only buy me 10 apples. We refer to this as: 🟠𝗡𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗩𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗲 🟢𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗩𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗲 Explained 🔻 —————————————————- 🟠𝗡𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗩𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗲 also known as the 𝗳𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝘃𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗲 𝗼𝗿...
Zero‑tariff Apples Land in Shenzhen, Boosting SA‑China Trade
The first shipment of South African apples arrived in Shenzhen, China on May 1. Benefiting from zero-tariff treatment, the 24-ton consignment received a tariff saving of approximately R50,000. More South African products are expected to enter the Chinese market as...
Inflation Adjustment Turns 339% Gains Into 12% Real Return
Understand this, please. You can use this formula: FV = P(1+R)^n R25.48(1+0.054) ^26 = R100 ————- That means if you adjust your asset returns for inflation, your real rate of return is much lower. Let’s say I started with R25.48 in my investment...
Fuel Prices Rise May 5: Petrol +R3.27, Diesel +R
SABC News has just reported; “that fuel prices will increase this Wednesday, the of 5th May. The Petrol price will go up by R3.27 per litre and diesel by R6.19 per litre.
Chinese Car Makers Accelerate Into South Africa’s Market
The "China Strength" isn’t just hitting South East Asia, 𝗶𝘁’𝘀 𝗮𝗹𝘀𝗼 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺 𝗦𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗵 𝗔𝗳𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗮’𝘀 𝗿𝗼𝗮𝗱𝘀 𝘁𝗼𝗼. Just as Chinese companies are scaling across Asia, brands like Chery, GWM, and BAIC are entering, growing, and investing in the South African...
Mastercard Q1 Revenue Surges 16% with Strong EPS
𝐌𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐄𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐇𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 (𝐐𝟏) 💰Revenue: $8.4B (+16% YoY) 💰EPS: $4.60 (+23% YoY) 💰Operating Margin: 60.8% 💰Net Income: $4.1B; (20% YoY) 💰Gross Dollar Volume: $2.7 trillion 💰$11.7B reaming to buy shares Stock price: $506
Naspers Pays Premium Buying Shares Above Average Cost
Naspers is now sitting at R894 a share. They continue to buy shares weekly at around the +R900 level, and are spending billions of Rands every month doing so. Their average share price since starting their repurchases sits at +-R725...
Inflation‑linked Bonds Boost Nominal Returns, Tax on Unrealized Gains
𝗧𝗮𝘅𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝗻 𝗠𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘆 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗛𝗮𝘃𝗲𝗻'𝘁 𝗥𝗲𝗰𝗲𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗱 😲 To see how RSA Retail Savings Inflation-Linked Bonds work, let’s look at a hypothetical investment of R100,000 over a 5 year period 𝗟𝗲𝘁'𝘀 𝘀𝗮𝘆 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗶𝗻𝘃𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗥𝟭𝟬𝟬,𝟬𝟬𝟬 𝗶𝗻 𝗮 𝟱-𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗶𝗻𝗳𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻-𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝗼𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝘁 𝗮 𝟰.𝟳𝟱%...
Keep Expenses Steady, Save Extra Earnings
Important one Gentlemen, ‼️ Don’t make the mistake of increasing your costs when you start to earn more money. Rather keep your expenses the same and save the difference instead.
Gold Rush Mining Left West Africa’s Guinea Scarred
The term "Guinea" historically referred to the entire coastal region of West Africa, which was a major source of gold for the British Empire, particularly for minting Guinea coins. Early placer mining stripped topsoil and caused massive erosion in these...