Africa’s largest supermarket chain held prices lower in an attempt to win market share. Shoprite Holdings Ltd. ’s first-half gross margin edged lower, reflecting “low selling-price inflation, moving to deflation,” the Cape Town-based retailer said Tuesday. Trading profit at its core South African supermarkets unit rose 7.1% to 7.2 billion rand ($446 million). The push to grow customer numbers and ...
Africa’s largest supermarket chain held prices lower in an attempt to win market share. Shoprite Holdings Ltd. ’s first-half gross margin edged lower, reflecting “low selling-price inflation, moving to deflation,” the Cape Town-based retailer said Tuesday. Trading profit at its core South African supermarkets unit rose 7.1% to 7.2 billion rand ($446 million). The push to grow customer numbers and volumes through price cuts comes as Walmart Inc. renews efforts to crack the South African market with stores under its own brand. Shoprite opened 209 stores in its local supermarkets division and added 53 in new formats including Petshop Science, Uniq Clothing, Checkers Outdoor and Little Me. Its shares fell as much as 4.05% by 10:38 a.m. in Johannesburg, the most in a month. That takes the year-to-date decline to 4.2%, compared with a 5.1% drop in the broader grocery index. Shoprite’s margin slipped to 23.8%, with selling price inflation averaging 0.7% for the half-year. South Africa’s food and non-alcoholic beverages inflation for the period was 4.7%. Low single-digit selling-price inflation is expected to persist in the second half, Shoprite said. The Next Africa newsletter runs every weekday. Sign up here for the newsletter, and subscribe to the Next Africa podcast on Apple , Spotify or anywhere you listen .
Key Points Goods that people purchase over and over again ultimately support reliable dividends. Artificial intelligence isn’t always the threat it seems like it could be to some companies. In fact, sometimes it’s an opportunity. Eventually, dividend growth becomes far more meaningful than a stock’s dividend yield at the time you buy it. 10 stocks we like better than Procter & Gamble › Why do you ...
Key Points Goods that people purchase over and over again ultimately support reliable dividends. Artificial intelligence isn’t always the threat it seems like it could be to some companies. In fact, sometimes it’s an opportunity. Eventually, dividend growth becomes far more meaningful than a stock’s dividend yield at the time you buy it. 10 stocks we like better than Procter & Gamble › Why do you invest? Most people know that the answer should be something like "to make the most risk-adjusted constructive use of my money." If we're being honest, though, many of us find picking stocks and monitoring our portfolios at least a little bit entertaining. That's OK. As a reminder to income-seeking investors, however, the very best dividend stocks are usually relatively boring names that just keep on cranking out cash payments regardless of the economic backdrop. Will AI create the world's first trillionaire? Our team just released a report on the one little-known company, called an "Indispensable Monopoly" providing the critical technology Nvidia and Intel both need. Continue » Here's a look at four boring dividend stocks that make for fantastic long-term income holdings. 1. Procter & Gamble It doesn't get much more mundane than dishwashing detergent, diapers, toothpaste, and laundry supplies. There's a clear upside to being in these businesses, though. These are products that people buy over and over again. The key to sustained success in these markets is often just achieving enough scale and market dominance to keep your per-unit production cost low and your pricing power high. Procter & Gamble (NYSE: PG) has done exactly that. Its Tide laundry detergent makes up roughly 40% of the U.S. market, while Pampers diapers' control of the domestic market is about half. In fact, most of the products in its portfolio regularly lead their respective categories. Perhaps the unsung hero in P&G's enduring success, however, is its sheer size and what that means in terms of marketing i...
Institutional investors are accumulating shares of Meta Platforms and Rocket Lab even as executives sell stock for personal financial planning reasons.
Institutional investors are accumulating shares of Meta Platforms and Rocket Lab even as executives sell stock for personal financial planning reasons.
Shoppers faced a surprise jump in grocery inflation last month after four successive months of falls, as experts warned there is worse to come if there is prolonged war in the Middle East. In a blow to households struggling with the cost of living, grocery price inflation rose to 4.3% in the four weeks to 22 February, after falling to 4% in January from 4.7% in December, according to the market re...
Shoppers faced a surprise jump in grocery inflation last month after four successive months of falls, as experts warned there is worse to come if there is prolonged war in the Middle East. In a blow to households struggling with the cost of living, grocery price inflation rose to 4.3% in the four weeks to 22 February, after falling to 4% in January from 4.7% in December, according to the market research company Worldpanel by Numerator. Meanwhile, the European Central Bank’s chief economist warned prolonged war in the Middle East could lead to lower oil and gas supplies from the region, causing a “substantial spike” in inflation and a “sharp drop in output” in the eurozone. The crisis has already driven oil and gas sharply higher, threatening to push up prices at the pump for UK drivers and increase household gas and electricity bills. In an interview with the Financial Times, Philip Lane said “directionally, a jump in energy prices puts upward pressure on inflation, especially in the near term”, and that such a development would be “negative” for growth. This would also apply to the UK. Fraser McKevitt, the head of retail and consumer insight at Worldpanel, said: “Looking ahead to Easter, shoppers will notice that chocolate prices remain high, up 9.3% year on year. “While this is still a significant rise, the pace of inflation in the category is beginning to ease and is now at its lowest level since September 2025.” However, Greggs said “easing inflationary pressures” should boost stronger consumer spending, as it revealed a near-18% drop in pre-tax profits £167.4m in the year to 27 December. The Worldpanel report showed shoppers splashed out on recent celebrations. Pre-made pancake mixes were up 114% from the previous week in the seven days leading up to Shrove Tuesday, while those making their own batter paid 42p or almost 6% more than last year as the cost of key ingredients reached £7.77. Nonetheless, sales of ingredients surged, with flour up 34%, sugar rising ...
Amazon said it expected extended service outages following drone attacks on three of its data centers in the Middle East. Two facilities in the United Arab Emirates took direct hits, while a third in Bahrain sustained damage from a nearby strike.
Amazon said it expected extended service outages following drone attacks on three of its data centers in the Middle East. Two facilities in the United Arab Emirates took direct hits, while a third in Bahrain sustained damage from a nearby strike.
A top executive at South Korea’s biggest arms-maker by revenue made a clear case for the company’s deepening foray into the Middle East: Threats abound. “They have challenges from a 360-degree angle,” Hanwha Aerospace Co. ’s Michael Coulter told Bloomberg News last year about discussions with representatives from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. He said both countries are “a main focus o...
A top executive at South Korea’s biggest arms-maker by revenue made a clear case for the company’s deepening foray into the Middle East: Threats abound. “They have challenges from a 360-degree angle,” Hanwha Aerospace Co. ’s Michael Coulter told Bloomberg News last year about discussions with representatives from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. He said both countries are “a main focus of ours right now.” That ongoing effort helped Hanwha Aerospace’s shares climb to a record on Tuesday, making it one of the world’s best-performing defense stocks. The firm’s stock surged nearly 20% by the close of trading in Seoul, as Israel continued its strikes on Iran and the US said that “the hardest hits are yet to come.” That capped a roughly 3,000% rally over the last five years. Iran has retaliated with barrages of missiles that have caused damage in multiple Gulf states and disrupted global energy markets and thousands of flights. A Bloomberg gauge of global defense stocks rose as much as 0.7%, to mark a record high for a second consecutive session. Tensions in the region will remain even after the fighting in Iran subsides, and Hanwha Aerospace is poised to benefit, according to Eric Zhu , a defense and aviation analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence. Many Gulf countries will likely increase their defense spending, particularly on systems to intercept drones and missiles, and diversify their suppliers to avoid production bottlenecks, he said, which is a growth opportunity for Hanwha Aerospace. The Seoul-based company is best known for its K9 self-propelled artillery but also produces surface-to-air missile systems, gas turbine engines for fighter jets, space rocket components and, via subsidiaries, warships and submarines. “Hanwha kind of has its hand in every single cookie jar,” Zhu said. “It’s a really well-positioned company.” In 2024 the company’s arms revenue from exports exceeded domestic revenues, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute...
Before Broadcom (AVGO.US) releases its earnings, JPMorgan reiterated its "Overweight" rating! The growth momentum of AI revenue is strong, and the stock price may increase by up to 49%. 富途牛牛
Before Broadcom (AVGO.US) releases its earnings, JPMorgan reiterated its "Overweight" rating! The growth momentum of AI revenue is strong, and the stock price may increase by up to 49%. 富途牛牛
The chief executive of Opendoor Technologies says his company is offering mortgages a full percentage point below the national average, a move that puzzles some observers wondering about its effect on the company’s business.
The chief executive of Opendoor Technologies says his company is offering mortgages a full percentage point below the national average, a move that puzzles some observers wondering about its effect on the company’s business.
Banks are asking British officials to exempt the UK’s Treasury bills from a key regulatory capital metric to help the nation expand the market. Excluding the ultra short-dated debt from the so-called leverage ratio — which requires lenders to have a set amount of capital relative to total assets — would make such securities more attractive for banks, according to UK Finance, a trade body represent...
Banks are asking British officials to exempt the UK’s Treasury bills from a key regulatory capital metric to help the nation expand the market. Excluding the ultra short-dated debt from the so-called leverage ratio — which requires lenders to have a set amount of capital relative to total assets — would make such securities more attractive for banks, according to UK Finance, a trade body representing more than 300 firms in the sector. Such a move “could help create an alternative to central bank deposits and support banks to facilitate greater market-making activity,” UK Finance said in a response to a government consultation seen by Bloomberg. Members include the likes of HSBC Holdings Plc, Bank of America Corp. and Goldman Sachs Group Inc. The proposal is one of a number of measures put forward by the industry, including better tax treatment, in response to the consultation that closed on Friday. The UK’s push on bills, a relatively small market compared to the US and euro area, is part of a broader strategy to pivot toward shorter debt maturities. While the nation’s Debt Management Office has already cut sales of long-dated bonds to record lows , bills still only make up around 3% of central government sterling debt. That compares to about a fifth of total US public debt. “Our members see clear potential for T-bills to play a more prominent and strategic role within the UK’s funding framework,” UK Finance said. Some bank analysts, such as those at Morgan Stanley, are calling for that low proportion to double in coming years . The DMO is due to lay out its debt sales plan for the 2026-2027 fiscal year later on Tuesday, with the contribution of bills expected to rise to £13 billion, according to a Bloomberg survey . A DMO spokesperson said the government will consider feedback and “conduct a full assessment of various options, including an analysis of cost and risk” before deciding how to proceed. Any decisions arising from the consultation will be communicated in ...