As we sign off on January, it's been a month of major moves in markets. Globally, the valuation risks in AI were thrust into the spotlight in recent days based on the emergence of DeepSeek. Geopolitical risks are also a major feature of 2025, with some of Trump's recent actions showing that we are in for a bumpy ride.

And yet, there are some turnaround stories out there that had a great January. Is the market looking for value opportunities in unusual places based on fear of how far tech has run? Nike, Walgreens and Burberry have all been researched in Magic Markets Premium this month and we highlight that basket in this show.

This podcast is for informational purposes only and is not financial or investment advice. Please speak to your personal financial advisor.

The banking industry is part of the fabric of any economy. This is both good and bad, as success in that sector therefore depends on broader economic activity. This has been the problem for most of the South African banking sector options over the past decade, but could that change in 2025? And what are the key metrics to look out for?

With reference to key macro points as well as more granular analysis into banks, we talked about topics ranging from the differences between US and South African banks through to sources of revenue like NII and NIR. We also talked about perhaps the most important thing of all for banks: the interest rate cycle.

This podcast is for informational purposes only and is not financial or investment advice. Please speak to your personal financial advisor.

Stories like Nike and Walgreens in the international market (both recently covered in Magic Markets Premium), as well as Pick n Pay in South Africa, tend to grab the imagination of investors as they go through a turnaround.

In this episode, we start off with some of the key macroeconomic indicators that investors and traders use to assess the health of the retail industry. We then go into the process of a typical turnaround, along with the milestones that are usually seen.

Turnarounds in the retail sector are highly speculative and therefore offer strong rewards for those who get them right. This podcast will increase your understanding of how these turnarounds work.

This podcast is for informational purposes only and is not financial or investment advice. Please speak to your personal financial advisor.

To kick off the year, we couldn't resist talking about the major themes that have carried over from 2024 into a new calendar year. US - China relations, interest rates, frothiness in equity valuations - it's all in here, along with a sobering discussion that gives context to the JSE performance last year vs. global alternatives.

Get excited about the markets this year in this episode of Magic Markets, with a fast-paced overview of the big stuff that you should be following.

This podcast is for informational purposes only and is not financial or investment advice. Please speak to your personal financial advisor.

In our final free show for the year, we look back on a year that has been dominated by gold and bitcoin, along with US equities that have shot the lights out. We consider a strong finish for China, along with the ongoing disappointment of Europe.

And of course, we talked about the positive surprise of South Africa this year and how political change can drive investment returns.

As we look forward to another exciting year in the markets in 2025, this is the perfect way to cap off the Year of Elections worldwide.

This podcast is for informational purposes only and is not financial or investment advice. Please speak to your personal financial advisor.

Although the terms blockchain and crypto are often used interchangeably, this hides the diverse use cases for blockchain technology - even in traditional applications like financial markets. On this podcast, Connie Bloem (co-founder and managing director of Mesh.trade) joins regular Magic Markets guest Justine Brophy of AnBro Capital to explain how blockchain technology on Mesh.trade is making it easier for investors to invest in funds managed by AnBro.

For more information, visit the AnBro website and the Mesh.trade website.

This podcast is for informational purposes only and is not financial or investment advice. Please speak to your personal financial advisor.

As the year of global elections draws to a close, Dino Zuccollo of Westbrooke Alternative Asset Management joined us to look back on how global trends impacted the alternative lending space in markets where Westbrooke has a presence: South Africa, the UK and the USA.

Covering important topics related to economic activities, portfolio diversification and the impact of decreasing interest rates on structures like senior debt and mezzanine funding, there's much to learn here about the world in which Westbrooke operates. To learn more about Westbrooke and to connect with the team, visit their website here.

Westbrooke Alternative Asset Management is an authorised Financial Services Provider, FSP number 46750.

Start your engines has quickly become start your batteries - or has it? Are electric vehicle adoption rates problematic everywhere, or are some companies seeing better adoption than others? Where does this leave hybrids? Where does this leave manufacturers that seem to lack clear strategic direction?

Along with a discussion on European vs. American vs. Japanese manufacturer performance, we dealt with all these topics in this episode of Magic Markets. For a whirlwind overview of the automotive sector at the moment, you're in the right place.

This podcast is brought to you by Investec Focus Radio. Investec's The Current podcast is a great series on the energy transition in South Africa, an important part of our country's geopolitical story and thus highly relevant to South African investors. There are ten excellent shows and Episode 8 focuses on South Africa's electric vehicle transition. Find them here.

This podcast is for informational purposes only and is not financial or investment advice. Please speak to your personal financial advisor.