Business News Today
SpaceX to Rocket to Record Evaluation
SpaceX is reportedly in talks for secondary share sale valued at a $800B valuation, which would make it America’s most valuable private company. According to the Wall Street Journal, SpaceX is launching a secondary share sale that would value Elon Musk’s rocket maker at $800 billion — double its recent $400 billion valuation and surpassing OpenAI to claim the title of America’s most valuable private company. The massive valuation figure reflects how routine mega-valuations have become within private markets. OpenAI stands at $500 billion, while Anthropic reportedly surged last month to $350 billion following major investments from Microsoft and Nvidia, up from $183 billion just months earlier.
SA Bonds in High Demand
South Africa’s National Treasury successfully issued $3.5 billion in dollar-denominated eurobonds on December 4, 2025. The country’s first such issuance since November 2024, when it raised a similar amount. This move tapped into strong global investor appetite amid improving perceptions of the nation’s fiscal reforms and growth outlook. The issuance was split evenly with $1.75 billion in 12-year bonds and $1.75 billion in 30-year bonds. The dollar-based euro-bonds were priced at 6.25% for the 12-year tranche and 7.375% for the 30-year, marking a tightening of 85-575 basis points from the 2024 issuance (7.1% and 7.95%, respectively).
The appetite for SA bonds was highlighted with an oversubscribed offer book nearly 4x, with over $13 billion in orders, reflecting surging interest from international investors. The proceeds will help pre-fund about $1 billion of the government’s $4.3 billion foreign-currency needs for 2026-27, easing near-term debt pressures. The sale boosted the rand to a near 3-year high – around 16.9/USD.
Mauritius’ Inflation hits Seven-Month Low
The annual inflation rate in Mauritius eased further to 4% in November 2025, the lowest since April, from 4.1% in October, marking the fifth straight month of slowing price growth. Price-growth moderated primarily for alcoholic beverages & tobacco (8.8% vs 9.6% in October) and transportation (2% vs 3.5%), while remaining steady for education (at 6.7%); furnishings & household equipment (at 4%) and clothing & footwear (at 2.5%). On a monthly basis, the CPI rose by 0.3% in November, after being flat in the previous month.
Breaking News Shorts:
- China’s exports increased by 5.9% year-on-year to an eleven-month high of USD 330.3 billion in November 2025, surpassing expectations for a 3.8% growth and rebounding from a 1.1% fall in October. This increase in outbound came as firms rushed to move inventory to take advantage of a fresh tariff truce with the US.
- India’s BSE Sensex fell 229 points, or 0.3%, to 85,484 in early deals today, erasing gains from the previous two sessions, as traders remained cautious ahead of the Fed’s monetary policy decision later this week. Traders also took profit after the index rose in the prior session following the RBI’s decision to cut interest rates and boost liquidity i
- Scatec ASA, a renewable energy provider, has started commercial operation of the 273 MW Grootfontein solar power plant in South Africa, which will generate 700 GWh of clean energy annually, making it the largest co-located solar PV cluster in the Western Cape province of South Africa.
- Gold prices rose above $4,210 per ounce this morning, after a weekly decline, as traders awaited the Federal Reserve’s final policy meeting of the year, where officials are widely expected to cut interest rates. Mixed US employment data and core inflation in line with expectations have supported the case for additional easing.
Markets by Numbers
Currency markets indicate the US dollar marginally stronger today, with the Euro trading against the US dollar at 1.16556 while the Pound is trading at 1.33383 to the US dollar. The Yen is currently trading at 155.25 to the dollar. The rand (ZAR) has maintained its level below the key R17 mark to the dollar and is currently at R16.93 to the US dollar.
Commodities:
- Gold futures are trending upwards this morning, and are currently trading around $4214.65 per ounce.
- Copper prices have gained 0.5% today, with prices currently around $5.4029
- Silver futures prices are flat this morning, and currently trading around $5.8259
- Platinum futures are up by more than 1.4% this morning, and currently trading at $1671.50, While Palladium prices are up 1.1% higher this morning, and currently trading around $1489.00 per ounce.
- Brent crude oil prices are higher today, and currently at $63.89 with WTI trading at $60.22
- Cocoa futures have surged by over 3.8% today, and currently trading around $5643.00 per ton.
- Coffee futures are 0.5% up this morning, and are currently trading at around $4.0834 per pound
Crypto Currencies:
- Bitcoin prices are up over 1% today, and trading at around $91335 per coin currently
- Ether prices are over 2% higher this morning, and are currently trading around $3130.29
- $Trumpcoin are trending lower today, and currently trading around $5.697
(All prices quoted at approximately 08H00 Central African Time)
Africa News Briefs:
- A mass shooting incident, occurred over the weekend in Gauteng South Africa, where 11 people – including a three-year-old child – have been killed. Fourteen others were wounded when gunmen stormed a hostel in the Saulsville township, west of the capital Pretoria, early on Saturday.At least three unknown gunmen began firing “randomly” at a group of people who were drinking, police spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe said. No arrests have been made. South Africa holds arguably the highest murder rate in the world, with 63 people killed every day between April and September 2025, according to police data.
- Mozambique’s displaced persons crisis grows with more than 107,000 people have been displaced in Mozambique in the past fortnight due to rising violence in the northern regions of the country with aid supplies running low, according to the United Nations humanitarian agency. Attacks by insurgents in northern Mozambique have increased this year, spreading into previously safe areas and beyond the gas-rich Cabo Delgado to the provinces of Nampula and Niassa. The violence has displaced more than 1.3 million people since 2017, according to the U.N. The norther region has been plagued by islamic insurgent groups for years.
- Benin’s President Patrice Talon, on Sunday claimed that the West African nation’s government and armed forces had thwarted a coup attempt by a group of soldiers and vowed to punish them.Talon’s announcement last night, came around 12 hours after gunfire first rang out in several neighbourhoods of Cotonou, the country’s biggest city and commercial hub, and soldiers went on state television to say they had removed Talon from power.
