Rate Cuts Return amid Cooling Inflation

On the 20th of January Donald Trump took office at the White House and officially assumed the role of US president. Upon his inauguration, Trump wasted little time and signed 36 executive orders in his first week. The primary themes surrounding the orders included trade tariffs, with Mexico, Canada and China being the primary targets; energy production and the environment, where Trump has allowed for greater exploration and usage of oil and gas reserves; border immigration, most notably by declaring a National Emergency at the Southern Border of the US and Mexico on his first day in office.

Op 20 Januarie het Donald Trump sy amp aanvaar by die Withuis en amptelik die rol van Amerikaanse president ingeneem. Kort ná sy inhuldiging het Trump 36 uitvoerende bevele in sy eerste week onderteken. Die primêre temas van hierdie bevele het handelstariewe ingesluit, met Meksiko, Kanada en China as die vernaamste teikens; energieproduksie en die omgewing, waar Trump groter ontginning en gebruik van olie-en gasreserwes toegelaat het; en grensimmigrasie, veral deur op sy eerste dag in die amp ’n Nasionale Noodtoestand aan die Suidelike Grens van die VSA en Meksiko te verklaar.

December saw a somewhat bumpy end to an otherwise stellar year for both local and global equity markets.

Desember het ‘n effens wankelrige einde aan ‘n andersins uitsonderlike jaar vir beide plaaslike en globale aandelemarkte gebring.

In the final week of November, the US equity market, as reflected by the S&P 500 Index, reached its 52nd record high of 2024, marking yet another all-time peak. With one month remaining in the year, the S&P 500 has gained an impressive 26.5% year-to-date in USD terms.

In die laaste week van November het die Amerikaanse aandelemark, soos weerspieël deur die S&P 500 Indeks, sy 52’ste rekord hoogtepunt van 2024 bereik, wat nog ‘n alle-tye rekord hoogtepunt was. Met een maand oor in die jaar, het die S&P 500 tot dusver ‘n indrukwekkende 26.5% in USD terme gegroei.