The rand is back as the world’s most volatile major currency, and options pricing suggests it’s not going to lose that status any time soon. A gauge of expected swings over the next six months, based on prices of options to buy and sell the rand, has jumped 175 basis points since the beginning of August to 16.1% on Thursday. Historical volatility climbed 61 basis points to 13.8%, the highest among 16 major developed-nation and emerging-market currencies tracked by Bloomberg. That took the spread of implied over realised volatility to the most in almost a year, as traders hedge against … Continued

Famous Brands has published its integrated annual report for 2019, showing significant growth in the number of restaurants across some of its most popular brands. Fast food franchising has been a very successful industry over the last few years, with a number of international brands entering into the South African market and rapid expansion among local brands. However, a low growth economy, high levels of unemployment and infrastructure issues including load shedding have put immense pressure on consumers and businesses alike, leading to a rocky year for most franchise owners. According to Famous Brands, its 2019 financial year has been characterised by … Continued