EMOJI SENTIMENT INDEX

STILL ROLLING

The Rolling Stones are back on tour this year, to mark their 60th anniversary as a band. The tour, called SIXTY, will comprise 14 shows and 10 countries, starting on 1 June in Madrid. Steve Jordan is joining as the drummer after the death of Charlie Watts last year. Their 2021 tour, No Filter, was the highest-grossing tour of the year, earning more than $115-million, selling more than 516,000 tickets at about $223 each, Forbes reports. Mick an’ Keef are now 78, with Ronnie a mere 74.

W CAPE GETS PUSHY

The Western Cape has tabled its budget to “push forward”, said the Department of Finance and Economic Opportunities. MEC David Maynier said it was “so that we can get up, so that we can get out, so that we can push forward and so that we can do even better in the Western Cape”. Over the medium term, R19.6-billion has been allocated to jobs; R4.4-billion to safety; R111.3-billion on wellbeing; and R30.3billion on infrastructure. An additional R6.2-billion will be spent on education.

TYCOONS TAKE A KNOCK

China’s richest folk lost more than $53-billion on 14 March, after a “stock rout”, Bloomberg reports. Bottled water tycoon Zhong Shanshan lost $5-billion, the biggest loss, when his Nongfu Spring Co fell 9.9% in Hong Kong. But he is still China’s wealthiest person, worth $60.3-billion. Tencent’s Pony Ma is $3.3-billion poorer, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, giving him a net worth of $35.2-billion. The 76 Chinese billionaires among the world’s 500 richest people have lost $228-billion this year.

MED AID FOR R350

Discovery, SA’s largest medical insurance provider with more than 40% of market share, has opened the door to low-income clients. It will offer primary care for about R350 a month, with a network of doctors, emergency procedures and treatment for chronic conditions including HIV. This is about a third of the price of its previous entry-level product, Bloomberg reports. Medical aid membership in SA dropped 0.6% to 8.9 million in 2020, blamed on a stagnant economy that hit disposable incomes.

KWANZA HOLDS ITS GROUND

Angola’s kwanza is the world’s bestperforming currency against the dollar, strengthening 20% this year, thanks to surging oil prices and rating agency upgrades.

Russia’s rouble is the worst performing, falling 37%, reports Bloomberg. Angola is

Africa’s second-biggest crude producer, earning 90% of export revenue from crude. Angola’s economy is forecast to grow 2.9% this year. In July 2021, the central bank raised interest rates to 20% from 15.5% to rein in inflation.