NAVIGATING NAMIBIA’S ECONOMIC CROSSROADS
As Namibia approaches the end of a decade marked by stagnant GDP growth, we invite you to reflect with us on the present economic climate, the factors that have brought us here, and where we [...]
THE UNUSUAL BUSY OFF-PEAK TOURISM SEASON IN NAMIBIA
Tourism in Namibia has traditionally exhibited a distinct cyclicality, with the peak season running from July to October. This pattern seems to be waning with a higher than usual number of visitors gracing Namibia during [...]
UNVEILING THE FISCAL LANDSCAPE OF NAMIBIA
Economic Pulse Namibia’s annual budgetary process is a crucial aspect of the country’s economic planning and fiscal management. In previous years, the government has presented comprehensive budgets aimed at addressing key national priorities, fostering economic [...]
ECONOMIC PROGRESS UNDER NAMIBIA’S LATE PRESIDENT
Economic Pulse – March 2024 His Excellency Dr Hage Geingob embarked on his presidency in 2015 amidst a wave of public support, having secured 86% of the presidential vote in 2014. However, with Geingob’s inauguration [...]
NAVIGATING 2024
Global economic normalisation, electoral crossroads, and Namibia’s path to recovery With 2024 well underway, now seems to be an opportune time to look at what the year is expected to have in store in terms [...]
THE YEAR IN REVIEW
Entering 2023, Namibia’s economic landscape was characterised by cautiously optimistic projections, underpinned by strong commodity performance, a surge in government spending, the expected validation of prior oil discoveries and the emerging interest in green hydrogen [...]
THE US BANKING CRISIS AND THE RISKS FOR NAMIBIA
Economic Pulse - June 2023 The largest global banking crisis since 2008 emerged in March this year, resulting in US regulators shutting down and selling three small- to mid-sized banks over the span of five [...]
TAKING STOCK OF 2023 SO FAR
Economic Pulse - May 2023 2023 was off to a flying start, with the first quarter of the year being a generally positive one for Namibia in terms of economic and financial developments. On the [...]
TECHNOLOGY, AI AND JOB DISPLACEMENT
Economic Pulse - March 2023 The advent of new technologies has often raised concern that new, often more efficient ways of doing things, will lead to job displacement. This fear has not been limited to [...]
THE AGE OF THE DIGITAL NOMAD VISA : NAMIBIA JOINS THE CLUB
Economic Pulse - February 2023 Digital nomad visas have been rising in the popularity as the number of people working remotely has increased in recent years. Remote working became a necessity during the pandemic-induced lockdowns [...]
THE CASE FOR SHARE REPURCHASES
Economic Pulse - January 2023 Share repurchases have been a hotly debated topic, particularly in the developed world, for a number of years now, and yet it somehow still remains one of the most misunderstood [...]
BEST OF 2022 – ECONOMIC HIGHLIGHTS
Economic Pulse - December 2022 Looking back, 2022 was a year of ups and downs. The optimism that pervaded the start of the year faded as the Ukraine conflict escalated. Tightening monetary policy and rampant [...]
NAMIBIA’S URANIUM SECTOR IS ESSENTIAL TO A DECARBONISED WORLD
Economic Pulse - October 2022 Nuclear power has long been controversial, with proponents citing its potential to decarbonise the world and opponents raising concerns about safety and waste. However, as the need to address climate [...]
NAMIBIA’S UNIVERSAL HEALTH CARE AMBITIONS
Economic Pulse - September 2022 Over the pas couple of decades a lot has been done in terms of improving health care systems around the world. The number of low- and middle-income countries aspiring to [...]
HOW IRRATIONAL DECISION-MAKING IMPACTS MARKETS
Financial theory in the traditional sense assumes that investors act rationally, using all available information to make investment decisions. If we also assume that markets are frictionless (no tax and no costs), we should have [...]
WE ARE IN THE SAME BOAT – OR NOT…
It is probably quite normal to first move into a state of panic when threatening things catch you by surprise. A potential next step, when the dust has settled and we can think more [...]
NAVIGATING THESE TRYING TIMES
The world has seen many crises before. While each crisis is different, Ray Dalio (founder of Bridgewater Associates) reminds us that history has a tendency to teach us patterns that we can use as [...]
EMOTIONAL MARKETS
On 28 May 1962 the Dow Jones average of thirty leading industrial stocks dropped by 34.95 points. At the time this was a drop bigger than on any other day in history, with the [...]
DO I BUY OR DO I RENT?
So, you don’t want to pay off someone else’s bond, right? Intuitively this thinking makes sense and it has been the reason for many people wanting to own a property. However, rental expense never [...]
RUGBY RULES FOR PROTECTING YOUR CAPITAL
Sometimes it helps to start by focusing on what something is not. Leaving your cash under the mattress is one of the surest ways to cause a permanent loss of capital. No, not necessarily [...]
MOVING ON SWIFTLY
Photo Credit: Susan Nel Photography As February breaks and salaried employees give a collective sigh of relief after a long-awaited January payday, it is worth taking a moment to do [...]
LAYERS OF INVESTING – Where to begin?
The range of options available to investors can often be overwhelming. Where do you even begin? To answer this question it can be useful to break your investment decisions into three simplified layers: 1. [...]
INVESTING AGAINST EMOTION
Reason is probably one of the biggest distinctions between humans and animals. It has given us the ability to learn from different circumstances and to adapt over time. These lessons sit deep in our [...]
NAMIBIA IN RECESSION – HOW WE ENDED HERE
Until now it had never been difficult to answer this question because the words ‘’forward’’, ‘’onward’’ or ‘’upward’’ were mostly used to describe Namibia’s economic growth and outlook. Until now, the measures of progress [...]
CHANGE ON THE HORISON?
In last month’s issue we unpacked the origins of the current economic crisis gripping Namibia. We recounted the combination of external factors and domestic policy errors that contributed to the economy overheating, which has [...]