RC 260812SAfm
Wednesday, 12 August 2026
A markets-heavy episode that tracked local equities and the rand, then dug into Africa’s debt pressure, bank card-decline costs, long-term investing discipline, and a nuclear engineering career story.
- 18:09
US inflation came in slightly softer at 3.4% year on year, lifting global market sentiment; the NASDAQ was up 0.4% and the rand held around 16.15 after earlier strength.
- 18:20
The BIS bulletin flagged serious African public-debt pressure, with about 20 or 21 countries at risk of distress; Zambia, Ghana and Senegal were singled out, and Middle East and El Niño shocks could worsen it.
- 18:29
South African banks are estimated to lose about R3 million a year from card transactions that get declined, mostly because customers switch cards or merchants block transactions after fraud checks.
- 18:44
Long-term investing was framed around buying businesses with durable moats, low reinvestment costs and room to grow; examples included Shoprite, OUTsurance, Clicks and Capitec as companies that can compound over time.