US seals Greenland deal, and Transnet asks for R26 billion

The rand was trading at R16.23 against the US dollar on the morning of Monday, 21 September 2026, largely unchanged from the week before.

South African equities ended weaker last week, with the JSE All Share Index down 1.01% and the Top 40 Index down 1.23% in closing on Friday.

Investor focus has shifted towards upcoming inflation data, which is due to be released by Stats SA this week.

This will influence the South African Reserve Bank’s interest rate decision, which will be announced following its meeting on Thursday.

Wall Street indices posted mixed results on Friday, with the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq up 0.17% and 0.39%, respectively, while the Dow Jones dropped 0.18%.

The Federal Reserve raised US interest rates last week by 25 basis points, with markets now pricing in the potential for another hike later this year.

European markets posted sharp losses on Friday, with the STOXX 600 falling 1.11% and the FTSE down 1.45%.

The Bank of England left interest rates unchanged, but said it would consider raising them later this year if inflation persists.

In Asia, the market posted gains on Friday, with the Nikkei 225 up 1.38%, the Hang Seng up 0.60%, and the Shanghai Composite up 0.94%.

The Bank of Japan raised interest rates to 1.25%, their highest point in 31 years, with two board members dissenting to the decision.

In commodities, Brent crude oil dropped to around $101 per barrel amidst easing supply concerns, while gold fell to $4,357.24 per ounce.

On Monday morning, the rand was trading at R16.23 to the US dollar, R18.63 to the euro, and R21.70 to the British pound.

Important finance and investing news

US reaches Greenland deal: The United States has reached a security deal over Greenland, following months of pressure from President Donald Trump to take control of the semiautonomous Danish territory. American and Greenlandic businesses hope the deal will ease geopolitical tension and drive investment. [Wall Street Journal]

Transnet asks for R26 billion: Transnet has requested R26 billion from the National Treasury to refurbish South Africa’s railway lines, with a new line linking mines in Botswana to South African ports on the table. The entity has admitted that it is not in a financial position to fund the project itself. [BusinessDay]

Paramount merger nears completion: Paramount is in advanced talks with state attorneys general to resolve the antitrust lawsuit preventing its acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery. While states such as California are calling for the deal to be settled, others, such as Connecticut, remain hesitant. [Yahoo Finance]

$2.8 billion arms sale blocked: Jeanne Shaheen, a Democrat on the US Senate’s Foreign Relations Committee, has blocked a $2.8 billion arms sale to Israel, which has reportedly been in the works since July. Shaheen has asked the Trump administration how Israel plans to use the weapons. [Semafor]

New plan to fix Johannesburg: The EFF have presented a plan to expand public services and municipal employment in the City of Johannesburg, saying it will look into the City’s various entities as a means to finance these aims in order to improve service delivery and tackle poverty and financial waste. [eNCA]