My incorrect prediction last year was that Italian bond yields would spike or someone would leave the Euro. I was wrong. Interest rates did get pretty scary. Â There was plenty of talk about Greece leaving the Euro. But it didn’t happen. How memories fade. Already, there are stories and quotes trying to downplay the very…
I blogged a while back about marriage and divorce rates and based on census results. I still think that’s pretty interesting stuff. Then today, I noticed a story showing how 8% fewer South Africans were married in 2010 compared to 2003 even while the population continues to grow. The result reflects a significant decrease in…
The last month hasn’t been pretty for economic performance, credit or retail sales. Everyone from Richemont to Mr Price has taken a beating. Woolies is down about 13% in the last month. And now both Capitec and African Bank are reporting worse default experience (respectively through temporary strike-blips or through a cyclical downwards trend) and…
More on this and developments in bond yields over the next few weeks. Greek (and Italian and Spanish) bond yields are down. Credit ratings have stopped deteriorating and Greek ratings have even improved recently. Certainly a temporary stability as emerged and the political noises are less worrying than they were a few months ago. Would…
Well 2013 is here and I’m done with a great Garden Route break and already in the thick of it. I will be blogging a little more than at the end of last year, although still not as much as I’d like with all the year-end work to keep me busy. I do need to…
I haven’t posted in ages – plenty happening on the work front, which is mostly good news. I also don’t really have time to comment properly on this article but Wits academic, Robert Vivian, but it’s interesting reading all the same. Read Vivian’s letter first and then come back to my comments. I can’t help…
So, as I expected given the fundamental changes to IFRS 4 in recent months, the IASB is doing the grown-up thing and is re-exposing the latest version of the insurance accounting standard later this year early next year. They are restricting questions to areas that have changed or where final decisions haven’t been made, which…
Yes I’m aware Spanish yields are way down, and in many ways this is a good thing and a good sign for Europe and a good sign for the global economy. The politicians have been less unhelpful than I expected.
