December is upon us and we are in the home stretch. Thousands of learners have written their Grade 12 exams and are off to whatever Matric Rage they fancy. Most workers are making plans for their holidays and Cape Town is starting to see the regular influx of tourists, both local and from overseas.
In the investment markets we may just see a relief rally towards Christmas after the Federal Reserve in the US has indicated that it does not need to increase interest rates aggressively. The big one, however, is still the talks between the US and China regarding trade tariffs at the G20 summit in Argentina.
With the price of oil coming down and some strengthening of the rand we can expect inflation to stay subdued, resulting in a lower interest rate environment. This may return some confidence to consumers and spending may pick up. Should this happen, companies may have to manufacture more products and employ more people – so that we may see more people enjoying a better quality of life.
So, this Festive Season we can only hope that things will start to change and that soon more people will share in the joy that many of us take for granted.
