SGM-FX insights

Trump and G20   It was even more compelling watching than Glastonbury with multiple sound stages and even more multiple sound bites. The SGM-FX elves were hard at it trying to decipher whether Mutti Merkel was simply suffering from stress or something more serious, what that meant for Germany and Europe and whether PM May […]

Wrecking Ball     We’ve had baby Trump in a diaper hovering tens of feet above parliament square but I’ve got a new idea for all you Trump sceptics out there for your next false idol before the President. A Miley Cyrus ‘smash hit’ – Wrecking Ball – inspired figure featuring Trump on a wrecking […]

Markets   With US officials now playing down the likelihood of a US-China trade deal at the forthcoming G20 at the end of this week, there are two takeaways for seasoned market watchers: first there is little likelihood of a trade deal given the well known entrenched positions of the protagonists and second the USA […]

Mexico and Markets   So the Mexican President and incidentally the market had it right and the US tariffs threatened for today have been shelved. This had been largely discounted as we wrote last week but still the Peso strengthened against the USD over the weekend.   Disappointing US employment figures on Friday have weakened […]

Mexican Peso and Markets Round Up   President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador of Mexico not only believes but the market believes that he will pull off what most thought to be unattainable-namely no tariffs between Mexico and the USA and all by June 10 ie this coming Monday. The Mexico Peso has performed best of the […]

The Perfect Storm?   You would be forgiven for believing that the South African general election was the most significant threat to the Rand in the first half of this year. However, eschewed of blame as you might be, you’d still be wrong. In fact, the week ahead is considerably more risky. Tomorrow, the National Assembly […]

South Africa   The news that incumbent ANC President managed not only to arrest the decline in his party’s share of the vote but reverse it to win 57.5% is a small but encouraging step for the ZAR and the nation.   US-China Trade War/Talks   Hard on the heels of the imposition of US […]

… Not for the Rand!   The political overhaul in South Africa is mesmeric. The entrenchment of the previous incumbent regime throughout society, trade and politics was hard to understate. The release of the African National Congress from the grips of Zuma and his family afforded the Rand considerable value, propelling the Rand down from […]

Discussion and Analysis by Charles Porter:   On the Wednesday 25th October, the South African Rand sustained an intraday loss well in excess of 3%. The devaluation was caused by the pessimistic, yet honest, budget speech from South African Finance Minister, Malusi Gigaba. Against the Pound Sterling, the effect was tempered briefly by a bout […]

Discussion and Analysis by Charles Porter: Political and geopolitical risk has been amplified immensely this weekend. The threat to the kingdom of Saudi Arabia is significant, particularly given the nation’s exposure to crude oil. The threat escalated when a ballistic missile was reportedly fired from Saudi Arabia’s southern neighbour, Yemen, towards the kingdom’s capital. The […]

Discussion and Analysis by Grace Gliksten:   Due to the potentially high returns for investments, individuals are finding themselves veering away from investing in the traditional industrialised economies and towards emerging markets. Understanding emerging market currencies, which have a unique set of advantages and drawbacks for investors, is imperative to getting the most out of […]

Discussion and analysis by Grace Gliksten:   A month of souring relations with the EU has ended with Turkey in a stalemate with the US following a mutual suspension of visas. The Turkish Lira has unsurprisingly been hit harder by the event than the US Dollar which, surprisingly, still showed a perceptible weakening.     […]