No IMF bailout just yet, Rico's cartoon of the week, Don't get caught in rand exchange rat race

[Spread Business Maverick and share the knowledge.]( [Web version here.]( [Business Maverick with Tim Cohen] Tuesday, 13 August 2019 “"In the future, there will be no female leaders. There will just be leaders." Sheryl Sandberg, COO Facebook Story of the Day [No IMF bailout just yet, say (some) analysts]( [By Ed Stoddard]( [Is South Africa about to go on bended knee to the IMF, triggering years of austerity and populist politics? There seems to be a growing consensus that it is, but there are dissenting voices out there. They note that South Africa is not on the verge of a balance of payments crisis and that its debt levels are underpinned by long-term issuance and deep liquidity. That doesn’t mean policymakers should be complacent.]( ON THE MARKETS Exchange Rates R/$ = 15.32 -0.03% R/£ = 18.50 +0.13% R/€ = 17.18 0% R/BTC = 174,245.70 -0.58% At -+5am or latest: % open to close Trading the Markets JSE All Share = 55,372.00 -0.29% Dow Jones = 25,897.71 -1.48% Brent Crude ($/bbl) = 58.36 0% Gold ($/oz) = 1,511.30 +0.01% WHILE YOU WERE SLEEPING [There Were ‘Serious Irregularities’ at Jail Where Epstein Died]( Investigators have found “serious irregularities” at the federal jail in New York where Jeffrey Epstein was being held on sex-trafficking charges, Attorney General William Barr said on Monday, deepening the mystery surrounding the disgraced financier’s death. [Australian Living Standards to Fall Without Infrastructure Boost]( Australians face declining living standards and mounting costs from traffic congestion and energy bills unless the nation ramps up its infrastructure-spending pipeline, according to a government-commissioned report [Tencent-Backed Kuaishou Invest $434-million in Zhihu]( Zhihu, China’s answer to online Q&A service Quora, raised $434-million from investors including some of the country’s largest social media companies and the leading search service to bankroll its expansion. [Five Things You Need to Know to Start Your Day]( Hong Kong’s airport re-opens after protesters forced an unprecedented shutdown. Fears of a financial crisis in Argentina leads investors to dump stocks, bonds and currency. And Huawei hires help as Trump piles on the pressure. These are the topics being discussed across international markets at present In Numbers $30-billion CBS and Viacom have been working out the terms for an all-stock merger of companies worth a combined $30-billion. They’ve discussed 0.595 to 0.6 of a share of CBS for each of Viacom’s. Fact of the Day The IMF is accountable to 189 member countries. A country’s voting power is based on the size of its economy and the amount of the quota it pays when it joins. The US has the largest share of votes (approximately 17%). It contributes about 20% of the total annual IMF Budget. On the opposite side of the spectrum is the smallest member to the IMF, which is Tuvalu. Featured Articles [Dan Matjila shifts blame to PIC deals team for controversial Ayo investment]( [Dan Matjila shifts blame to PIC deals team for controversial Ayo investment]( By Ray Mahlaka [Rico: Can of Worms]( [Rico: Can of Worms]( By Rico [The IMF is neither our knight in shining armour nor a horseman of the apocalypse]( [The IMF is neither our knight in shining armour nor a horseman of the apocalypse]( By Reg Rumney Opinionistas [Don’t get caught in the rand exchange rat race]( A column by Michael Kruger [Time to tax Big Tech big time]( A column by Derek Abdinor [Gutting the public sector will hurt South Africa]( A column by Xolisa Phillip [FORWARD THIS EMAIL TO A FRIEND]( [Fb]( [Tweet]( [Yt] Copyright © 2019 Daily Maverick, All rights reserved. You are receiving this mail because you are awesome and on the Business Maverick subscriber list. Interested in advertising with us? [Click here to sign the pact.]( [Getting too many emails from us? Manage your preferences]( [Unsubscribe](