The major events and trends that have shaped the South African market so far in 2019

Cannon Asset Managers has published a graph outlining the issues that shaped South Africa’s equity market in 2019.
The most notable trend seen this year is ‘volatility’, as rising geopolitical tensions encouraged investors to seek safe havens while negative interest rates sent investors hunting for yield.
On the international front, the trade war between China and the US caused global uncertainty while the impact of Brexit was also felt on local shores.
Locally, issues such as unemployment and labour tensions also plagued South Africa throughout 2020, while the return of load shedding and Eskom remain dominant factors.
Notably, Cannon Asset Managers said that these problems are likely to continue impacting the market in 2020.
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