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- Be sure you know what you're doing if you cede a life policy
Be sure you understand all the implications before you cede a life policy as security for a loan, and be particularly aware of how the cession affects the nomination of beneficiaries to the policy. - Full value of ceded policies lost to widow
If you cede a life assurance policy with an investment value as security for a debt, be aware that the bank may not only call in that security if you die, but also if you cannot repay the debt. - Do your loved ones a big favour: draw up a will
This week we deal extensively with the problems of cessions of life assurance policies to provide security for loans. It is a complex issue and one that can become a great deal more complex if you do not have a will. - Thresholds for grants to rise
The asset and income thresholds for social grants will increase by between four and seven percent from April 1, when the social grant increases also take effect.
- Retailers outshine JSE
The market seems to have taken a renewed interest in food and merchandising retailers, as most counters outperformed the JSE All-share index over the past six months. - US reviewing Eskom proposal
The US review of Eskoms proposal for a loan from the World Bank has been "in process", says the countrys embassy in Pretoria. - Molefe leaving PIC
Public Investment Corporation CEO Brian Molefe will not renew his contract which expires in April. - SA slips to No 4 in gold rankings
South African gold output has fallen nearly 6% in 2009, leaving it in fourth place in global stakes. - Shake-up at First Uranium
First Uranium, which wants to raise up to C$150m, is undergoing a massive shake-up to address a litany of woes. - Off the Record
Fin24.com takes on the weeks news. On the agenda: Tenderpreneurs, the fate of labour broking, whos who The Forbes Rich List and financial sector results. Listen - Double dip: guard your money
The market may be heading for a correction. What can you do to shelter your money from a possible fallout? - US stocks end mixed
US stocks have ended narrowly mixed amid conflicting signals on consumer confidence, a critical barometer for the US economic recovery. - KWV offloads surplus property
Paarl-based wine and brandy producer KWV Holdings is selling off substantial tracts of surplus property in the Cape winelands. - SA listing for 2 Libint companies
UK real estate investment trust Liberty International, which is to separate into two new businesses, says the approvals for SA listing status have been received and are satisfactory.
- Big jump in business confidence
Business confidence rose sharply in the first quarter of 2010, according to a survey released yesterday. - JSE reports rise in revenue
The Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) Limited reported a rise in revenue late on Monday as it released its full year results for 2009. - Zuma means business with UK
President Jacob Zuma has pointed out to British parliamentarians that the number of businesspeople on his delegation was indicative of his administration's particular interest in heightening economic relations with the United Kingdom. - Business confidence improves in February
Business confidence improved in February, according to the Business Confidence Index (BCI) released by the SA Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Sacci) on Wednesday. - GDP data shows economy on the mend
Gross domestic product (GDP) figures for the fourth quarter of 2009, released on Tuesday, confirm the economy is on the mend, Nedbank Group economists have said. - Gordhan wins plaudits with safe budget
Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan won praise on Wednesday for a balanced, positive budget that held state spending on track without raising taxes. The new Treasury boss adjusted the growth forecast for 2010 to 2.3 percent of GDP, rising to 3.6 percent in 2012, but warned that South Africans would continue to feel the pinch of the recession as job creation lagged recovery. The optimistic tone saw the rand trading stronger minutes after the minister started delivering his maiden budget speech to the National Assembly. - Zuma says nationalisation not govt policy
Nationalisation of South Africa's mines and other economic sectors is not government policy, President Jacob Zuma said on Tuesday. - WWF welcomes Zumas stance on green jobs
The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) has come out in support of what it calls President Zuma’s “commitment to long-term energy planning and greening industrial policy” as outlined in the president’s State of the Nation address last Thursday. Morné du Plessis, CEO of WWF, says, “South Africa cannot achieve the bold and exemplary commitments it made under the Copenhagen Accord without the transformation of its domestic energy economy. This requires, firstly, integrated energy planning, taking into account electricity supply, liquid fuels, direct fuel use by industry and the demand-side sectors of the energy economy.” “Secondly, it demands a transformed institutional environment which allows for the participation of clean electricity suppliers in a market currently dominated by Eskom and coal.” - SAs unemployment rate stabilizes
South Africa's official unemployment rate edged lower in the fourth quarter of 2009, halting the massive job losses that had accompanied the first recession in nearly two decades. - SA best housing market over long-term
South Africa is the best performing housing market in the world over the longer-term, latest figures from British news magazine The Economist reveal. - PMI rises for sixth month in a row
The Kagiso Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) - which measures manufacturing activity - entered 2010 with a bang. - Govt, business to promote SA at Davos
Team South Africa - a partnership between the government and business - will use the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos to reassure global political and business leaders that it is ready to stage a successful 2010 Fifa World Cup, as well as position South Africa as the next big thing . The partnership also aims to drive dialogue on the African agenda and will be encouraging WEF delegates to look South for fresh solutions to a better world, by experiencing the magnitude of the country's trade and investment offerings. Represented in the partnership are the Presidency, IMC, Government Communication and Information Service, Business Leadership South Africa (BLSA), Discovery, Old Mutual, Absa, Telkom, Nedbank, MTN, Sasol, Investec, Transnet and First Rand. - Job losses in mining sector halted
The establishment of the Mining Industry Growth, Development and Employment Task Team (MIGDETT) has led to a mitigation of job losses in the mining industry from an initial estimated 100 000 to approximately 50 000. - Solid economic growth for SA in 2010?
Although likely to remain subdued in the opening months, there is a good chance that economic growth could be surprisingly solid, with South Africa ending 2010 with annual GDP growth of over 3%, predicts Old Mutual chief economist Rian le Roux. - SA corporate governance continues to improve
South African corporate governance practices are considered relatively mature compared to emerging market peers, says Fitch Ratings in a report published, but they remain underdeveloped by international market standards.