CN&CO Fin-blog recap for the week ending 17 February 2017

Team CN&CO love financial services (among other things) and we enjoy reading about what’s happening in various quarters of the industry. Here are our favourite fin-blog picks of the week:

Colin’s pick:

Bitcoin: Revolutionary currency or pixie dust
If you don’t understand bitcoin all that well (as I don’t), you’ll feel a bit smarter after reading this article…

Carel’s pick:

All of the World’s Stock Exchanges by Size
Charles Savage of Purple Group sent out a link to this infographic the other day. It’s really interesting to see where the world’s equity wealth is concentrated (if “equity wealth” is even a thing). The JSE is worth USD 790 billion. Africa has five stock exchanges, which make up 1,5% of the value of the world total. “Now imagine,” says Charles, “if more South Africans bought shares on the JSE through EasyEquities. We could easily grow our share of the world total.”

 Kurt’s pick:

You Might Want To See This New R140 Million Listing In Clifton – Spilling Directly Onto The Beach
Would you splash out on this R140m Clifton Apartment? Disclaimer* The rates and levies are over R51k a month.

Rob’s pick:

Stun Grenades, Lawmakers’ Brawl Mar Zuma’s Keynote Address
“South African President Jacob Zuma’s annual state-of-the-nation speech descended into chaos as opposition lawmakers brawled with security guards, riot police fired stun grenades outside Parliament and rival party supporters clashed in the streets of Cape Town.”

Neo’s Pick

Budget 2017: Hard truths to face
The severity of SA’s fiscal squeeze is going to hit home when it is made clear that the country has reached its financial limits

Josie’s pick:

Gauteng might be the province of gold for property but the Western Cape is turning silver
“If you are planning on retiring to the Western Cape one day, you’re definitely not alone. More and more of South Africans over the age of 65 are snapping up luxury and super-luxury properties in the Western Cape.”

Source:
Ceros
The Money Project
2OceanVibe
Bloomberg
Business Live
RiskAfrica