The Weekly Shyft: Episode 19

Standard Bank South Africa

It’s February 2022, and this is the nineteenth Audio Episode of “The Shyft Lift”, the regular news digest of the App for the globally-minded, based in South Africa.

In 2021, South Africa’s home and beauty market grew by about 15%, with the strongest category being beauty products, which recorded 25% growth last year.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kye-iEU46Jg&ab_channel=SABCNews

According to data from Stats SA, it now takes five months (from July to November) for the country to record over 1 million tourists arriving in SA, unlike pre Covid when it took just one busy month such as January 2020.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ko06SLEYqx8

In 2021, machinery worth R130 billion was imported into SA from China, which is an increase from the R109 billion that was imported in 2020.

https://www.reuters.com/markets/currencies/chinas-exports-imports-grow-more-slowly-december-2022-01-14/

Durban port received 82,400 fewer containers in 2021 compared to 2019. There were also fewer vessels calling at ports and more empty containers being shipped out of SA than ever before.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=riSusnzHaOs&ab_channel=SABCNews

As power demand climbs gradually over the next four months, SA will need much more power than what is currently generated.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iTX7qweHE3U

The recent delivery of the national budget may have motivated you to reassess the state of your bank balance and where your money is going. Here’s what to keep in mind as you think strategically about your investments this year.

Firstly, the global stock market is a wild ride even at the best of times, and these (you may have noticed) are not the best of times. Secondly, share prices are tricky things – and investors who try to time the market are on to a hiding. Lastly, despite the uncertainty, US stocks remain a smart place for global citizens to invest their money.

We discuss whether a passive-investing bubble has been forming for some time and if it may be on its way to bursting (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jkeEyObsvbc&t=2101s), Apple’s new Tap to Pay feature (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pmmHniYpybc), the recovery of USD 3.6 billion that was stolen in a 2016 hack of Hong Kong cryptocurrency exchange Bitfinex (https://www.cnbc.com/2022/02/08/feds-seize-3point6-billion-stolen-from-bitfinex-hack.html), and also the number one wellness trend for 2022, which is Dirt-y Wellness, (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wHcY-iFSYZM).

Shyft is an app for global citizens, based in South Africa. It helps you buy, send, and store local and foreign currency - anytime, anywhere, directly from your mobile. Visit getshyft.co.za to download the app. SHYFT operates under the license of The Standard Bank of South Africa Limited, an authorised Financial Services Provider (FSP number 11287).The Weekly Shyft: Episode 18

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