Pete’s Pen – March

by | Mar 27, 2015 | News, Pete's Pen

I have just heard that at the end of this month, there will be a massive hike in the price of petrol, well over 10%. This, coupled with the 12,5% Eskom tariff increase is going to hurt. How then will this affect inflation in South Africa? I’m told by the experts that...

Pete’s Pen – February

by | Feb 27, 2015 | News, Pete's Pen

This time last year it cost R10,75 to buy US$1. It now costs R11,66. That is almost 6% more. If you had merely placed your money into a US$ bank account, even without interest, you would have earned 6%. That’s better than using current money market rates here in SA....

Pete’s Pen – January

by | Jan 30, 2015 | News, Pete's Pen

When a person is accused of being a pessimist, the usual answer is something like “I’m not a pessimist, I’m a realist”. I’m definitely not a pessimist, but I must confess that just like many South African small businessmen, the seemingly poor...