Budget preview: Call to courage
After a dispirited Sona, all eyes are on the finance minister to avert a junk rating
Top stories
National Treasury: Yes, minister
Treasury staff nearly quit over appointment of, Mahommed Bobat and Ian Whitley, advisers to blink-and-you-miss-it finance minister Van Rooyen
Gold Price: Action deferred
The spike in the rand gold price might delay the consolidation needed in the SA gold industry for the longer term
Entrepreneur: Potlako Gasennelwe
Gasennelwe is founder of PG Interiors, a company which has worked on commercial and residential projects in a number of African countries
Features
Steel industry: Speeding to the wall
Dramatic structural change in SA’s steel industry has delayed IDC’s plans for Hebei Iron & Steel Group to build $5bn steel plant in this country
Mining indaba: An expensive disappointment
Organisers will have to take complaints more seriously than they have to date, or face losing their relevance as leading mining African conference
Mineral & Petroleum Resources Act: Buried in the in-tray
Despite assurances from government that amendments to mining legislation would become a priority, clarity is still a long way off
Tax Incentives: Breaks and fixes
Tax breaks distort investment decisions and are disproportionately costly to the country making them
ArcelorMittal SA: Restoring the future
With a BEE deal in the works, ArcelorMittal SA’s social and political licence is close to being restored
Anglo American: Kumba goes
First to go is likely to be niobium and phosphates through a sale. Kumba will be last, writes Sikonathi Mantshantsha
Opinion
On My Mind: Don’t stand in the doorway
The times continue to change rapidly and local telecom firms must understand that regulation does not stop innovation, it fuels it, writes Thabo Mosala
In Good Faith: Bitter harvest
Unreasonable attempts to wring a lucrative result out of a disaster ended badly for the litigant, writes Carmel Rickard
Boardroom Tails: Hellish journey
If we are all to get to a better place safely, we need more helpful contributions from everyone in this vehicle, writes Ann Crotty
Money & Investing
Save tax-free for your child’s education
The introduction of tax-free savings accounts offers an ideal savings tool to give their children a gift for the future
Resilient: Africa bets are off
Plans to build 10 shopping centres in Nigeria have been placed on ice by Resilient Reit
Sovereign Foods: Something must crack
Management and minority shareholders at odds over how best to unlock value
Media & Advertising
Brand loyalty programmes: Up but unfocused
Brands that get their strategies right (including Clicks and Spur) are reaping the benefits
Advertising standards: Battle of the flavour kings
Simba chips has forced a smaller competitor to change its packaging in the light of glaring similarities between the two brands
Africa & International
Uganda: Grandfather’s clock ticks
After a 30-year rule, Yoweri Museveni still seems to think of himself as president-for-life
Digital
Video on demand: Just watch this space
If you don’t already watch movies using the Internet, pay close attention
Fibre to the home: Rapidly making Jozi faster
Suburbs in SA’s major cities have benefited from an influx of fibre optic cable projects, as competition between big operators intensifies
Pattern Recognition: Quality counts too
Twitter is a vital communication tool, and it should not be undermined by critics’ obsession with user numbers, writes Toby Shapshak
FM Magazine Index February 18 2016
Companies and individuals in this issue are indexed to the page of the article in the magazine in which each is mentioned
Cover Story
Steinhoff in Europe: At the top table
It's been a remarkable journey to listing in Frankfurt, but can Steinhoff scale even greater heights in competitive Europe? Zeenat Moorad spoke to CEO Markus Jooste
Cover Story
Ikea: Cool’s gold standard
Ikea is gold standard of integrated furniture retailing and generates structurally higher margins than its competitors, says Coronation
Between the Chains: No more spending money
Finance minister Pravin Gordhan's 2016 budget speech will determine if SA stands a chance of avoiding a credit rating downgrade
Fine Print: Do as I say, not as I do
The FSB, as the watchdog body which regulates all investments in SA other than banks, should embrace transparency — not defy it, writes Rob Rose
Editor’s Note: Anglo’s London disaster
LSE listings for iconic SA company has not worked well — but was there an alternative? And could it have turned out differently, asks Tim CohenBruce’s List: A daily guide to informed reads
Peter Bruce lists the crucial reads of the day
Diamonds & Dogs: Woolworths; ArcelorMittal SA
Woolworths is performing strongly under its new owners and ArcelorMittal SA’s numbers for 2015 suggest headline loss of R5 billion
Food for Thought: Memories are hard to beat
It's difficult to compare a family outing in Norwood to the youthful delights of Yeoville and Hillbrow — but the shawarmas measured up, writes Justice Malala
Investor’s Notebook: Next stage in PPS evolution
PPS Mutual Australia will adopt a structure in which all the equity belongs to members
Market Watch: Paper caper
There are no easy decisions for shareholders on whether to take paper or cash when companies start offering dividend choices, writes Marc HasenfussEditorial: SOEs — pipe dreams and patronage
One part of the review of state-owned enterprises implicitly allows for partial or full privatisation — though the authors cannot bring themselves to actually use the P-wordMultimedia
- Caltex: Pay up or pack up
- Zuma and the Guptas: Troublesome ties
- National Treasury: Yes, minister
- Fine Print: Do as I say, not as I do
- Nhlanhla Nene: New job far from decided, after all
- Bruce’s List: A daily guide to informed reads Feb 22-26
- Budget preview: Call to courage
- Anglo American: Kumba goes
- Mining indaba: An expensive disappointment
- Steinhoff in Europe: At the top table
FM Top Companies 2015
Download the full Financial Mail Top Companies 2015 report
Investors Monthly
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