Major International Business Headlines Brief ::: 05 December 2025

Fri Dec 5 12:15:46 CAT 2025

 <https://bullszimbabwe.com/> 

 <http://www.bullszimbabwe.com> Bullszimbabwe.com         <mailto:info at bulls.co.zw?subject=View%20and%20Comments> Views & Comments        <https://bullszimbabwe.com/category/blogs/bullish-thoughts/> Bullish Thoughts        <http://www.twitter.com/BullsBears2010> Twitter         <https://www.facebook.com/BullsBearsZimbabwe> Facebook           <http://www.linkedin.com/pub/bulls-n-bears-zimbabwe/57/577/72> LinkedIn          <https://chat.whatsapp.com/CF6wllAfScU9Wr6dXxoQnO> WhatsApp         <mailto:bulls at bullszimbabwe.com?subject=Unsubscribe> Unsubscribe

Major International Business Headlines Brief :::  05 December  2025 

 <mailto:info at bulls.co.zw> 

ü  Putin and Modi speak as they meet for trade and defence talks in India

ü  Top UK scientist says research visa restrictions endanger economy

ü  Meta shifts some metaverse investments to AI smart glasses

ü  Taiwan bans Chinese app RedNote over fraud concerns

ü  Greek sheep and goat cull raises fears of feta cheese shortage

ü  More than 300 flights cancelled as Indian airline faces 'staff shortage'

ü  Meta starts kicking Australian children off Instagram and Facebook

ü  How family firms can best plan for succession

ü  US widens travel ban to more than 30 countries, Noem says

ü  Bitcoin is down nearly 30% from its record high — history shows that’s normal

ü  Botswana holds policy rate at first meeting under new governor

ü  Kenya to sell 15% Safaricom stake to Vodacom in $1.6 billion deal

ü  African Development Bank says it plans $1.78 billion financing for Namibia

 <mailto:info at bulls.co.zw> 

Putin and Modi speak as they meet for trade and defence talks in India

Summary

Vladimir Putin and Narendra Modi are addressing the media as the Russian leader continues his India visit - watch live above

This is Putin's first visit to the country since he launched his full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022

Why are good relations with India so important for Russia?

Putin arrived on Thursday night to a rare personal welcome from Modi, who met him at the airport - here's the moment they embraced

The meeting comes months after the US hit India with an additional 25% tariff over its purchases of Russian oil, arguing it was funding Moscow's war in Ukraine

It also comes against the backdrop of US efforts to broker peace - but Putin warned again on Thursday that Ukraine must withdraw from the Donbas region or Russia will seize it.BBC

Top UK scientist says research visa restrictions endanger economy

One of Britain's most distinguished scientists, Prof Sir Paul Nurse, says the government is "shooting itself in the foot" with its visa system for science researchers.

Sir Paul told BBC News that high visa fees are deterring early-career researchers, who are instead being welcomed by the UK's economic rivals.

Supporters of the current system say higher visa costs help to fund the NHS and reflect wider public concerns about immigration.

But the Nobel prize winning scientist says the UK's scientific future is being put at risk.

"Having expensive visa costs is shooting yourself in the foot. It absolutely doesn't help in attracting these sorts of people," Sir Paul said.

Sir Paul, who has taken over as President of the Royal Society, which represents the UK's leading scientists, warns that countries such as China and Singapore are actively courting overseas scientific talent.

"Why do we put hurdles in the way of the people that are actually going to drive our economy? It makes zero sense."

The Nobel prize-winner describes the UK's science base as "fragile" because of a combination of steep visa costs, funding pressures and the negative signal, current immigration rules.

He urges ministers to rethink a system that forces scientists to pay an annual NHS surcharge and to prove they have thousands of pounds in the bank before they arrive.

PA Three people in white lab coats stand in a bright laboratory. The woman, Lucy Collinson, on the left points at something in her hand. The blond man, Boris Johnson, on the right holds a small object. Sir Paul stands between them, all focused on the discussion.PA

Sir Paul has been a confidant and advisor to sucessive Prime Ministers, including Boris Johnson

Official guidance on the Immigration Health Surcharge explains that visa applicants pay the surcharge to help fund their healthcare.

Home Office guidance states that applicants must show set levels of savings to show they can support themselves "without recourse to public funds".

The Centre for Policy Studies, a centre-right policy think tank, argues in its report Taking Back Control for net migration to be brought back down to the "tens of thousands."

But its policy expert on the issue, Karl Williams, broadly agrees with Sir Paul's sentiments, but argues that a tight overall migration limit must be maintained after an historically large recent surge in immigration.

"The wave of immigration we had between 2021 and 2024 is probably the single most significant demographic event in modern British history… If you say yes to one sector, then you start saying yes to other sectors, and you actually just recreate the problems of recent years."

According to Home Office visa statistics, the total number of people receiving a visa for a job in natural and social science in the last quarter was 323 people.

"Even if you doubled that, that wouldn't make a huge difference to the overall migration numbers," Mr Williams told BBC News.

"But there is no robust system to make that work, for example having conversations about where numbers can be reduced in order to let more scientists in".-BBC

Meta shifts some metaverse investments to AI smart glasses

Meta is shifting some of its investments in the metaverse to AI glasses and wearables, hoping to capitalise on the "momentum" in that segment, a company spokesperson has said.

Over recent years, Meta has poured billions of dollars to build the metaverse, which lets people to interact in a virtual reality. However, the tech giant has struggled to convince investors of the viability of the nascent technology.

Bloomberg first reported on Thursday that Meta would cut its metaverse investment by as much as 30%. Its shares climbed more than 3.4% following the news.

The strategic shift to the Metaverse was the reason why Facebook changed its name to Meta in 2021.

"We aren't planning any broader changes than that," said Meta's spokesperson, without commenting on whether the shift in investments will result in layoffs.

Now, the company is seeking to build on an early advantage on AI-enabled glasses, after the positive reception to the latest models launched in September.

The glasses feature a small display within the lens that can describe what it sees and even translate text. That feature is widely seen as a breakthrough that enhances the technology's usefulness while making the design more compact.

Many players in the industry, including firms in China, have also joined the race to build smart glasses and wearable technology.

Meta has struggled in recent years to convince investors about the metaverse. Many have been sceptical over its vision for an immersive digital space and the demand for virtual reality (VR) headsets, which are key to that technology.

The company has invested heavily in such headsets and its metaverse platform, Horizon Worlds, where users can interact as avatars.

Demand for other technologies, especially artificial intelligence (AI), have also surged ahead while Meta prioritised the metaverse.

The firm has recently shifted its focus to building large AI models, like the software integrated into WhatsApp, and developing smart gadgets like its new glasses.-BBC

Taiwan bans Chinese app RedNote over fraud concerns

Taiwan says it will block access to popular Chinese social media app RedNote or Xiaohongshu for one year following concerns over online shopping scams.

The island's Criminal Investigation Bureau said Thursday it detected more than 1,700 fraud cases on the app since last year, with total losses worth more than NT$247m (£5.9m; $7.9m), local media report.

The app is a TikTok-like platform with built-in shopping features. Taiwan's internet service providers have been ordered to block access to the app, affecting at least three million domestic users, according to local reports.

The BBC has contacted Xiaohongshu and Taiwanese authorities for comment.

BBC checks in Taiwan showed that the platform is no longer accessible to some users. Instead, the app displays a message stating it is unavailable due to "security restrictions."

Taiwan news outlets said that the app is being banned over a spate of fraud cases and after failing to meet data security standards, putting users at risk.

The app's operators do not have a local office and has not responded to regulators' request to submit a plan to improve its cyber-security measures, Taipei Times quoted Taiwan's interior minister as saying.

Xiaohongshu, which launched in 2013, has hundreds of millions of users worldwide, and is especially popular in Asia. The app's user-base grew this year as users in America sought alternatives to TikTok after the government threatened to ban the Chinese platform in the US.

Taiwan's temporary ban comes as concerns grow over Beijing's use of social media to cultivate more favourable views of China and to spread disinformation.

Beijing views Taiwan as a breakaway province that will eventually be returned to Chinese control. China has not ruled out the use of force to achieve this goal.

Xiaohongshu has also faced pressure from Chinese regulators, which said in September that it has called for "strict punishment" on the firm's bosses over "negative" posts on its platform.-BC

Greek sheep and goat cull raises fears of feta cheese shortage

Hundreds of thousands of sheep and goats are being culled in Greece, due to the outbreak of an infectious disease. It may affect production and exports of the country's famous feta cheese.

Anastasia Siourtou walks through her deserted farm on the outskirts of Karditsa, a city in the Thessaly region of central Greece.

An eerie silence hangs over the place where 650 sheep were being raised.

On 12 November veterinary officials culled all the livestock after a case of sheep and goat pox was detected.

"There is another farm two kilometres away. They had pox cases, but hid it," she says, alluding to how she believes her herd contracted the disease.

Ms Siourtou is a veterinarian herself and has expanded the farm that her father built.

Losing the animals means financial ruin - besides the livestock the farm lost, the sheep's milk, which is sold for the production of feta cheese, is often referred to as Greece's "white gold".

More than the financial blow, however, Ms Siourtou speaks of the emotional toll. "I was here the day the sheep were culled. It is very cruel, I felt that I failed to protect them."

Anastasia Siourtou walking through her empty barn

Farmer Anastasia Siourtou says she feels that she failed to protect her sheep

Sheep and goat pox is a viral infection. The first cases were detected in northern Greece in August 2024, and the disease has since spread across many regions of the country.

A total of 1,702 incidents had been recorded by mid-November, according to the latest data from the Ministry of Rural Development and Food.

Detecting a single case on a farm means the entire herd must be culled for preventive reasons. Some 417,000 sheep and goats have been disposed of so far, which is roughly 4-5% of the previous total.

Approximately 80% of Greek sheep and goat's milk goes towards making feta cheese, which is a protected designation of origin within the European Union.

This means that while similar cheese can be produced elsewhere in the EU it cannot be called feta. The UK continues to respect this 2002 ruling following Brexit.

Last year, Greece exported €785m ($909m; £690m) of feta, figures from the Greek Exports Association show. Of this, €520m went to fellow EU nations, and €90m to the UK.

Feta has to be made of at least 70% sheep's milk, with the remainder being goat's.

Small dairies say they are already having problems sourcing sheep's milk, which could mean possible shortages of feta going forward. While prices have not yet increased in turn, this will likely be the result if the outbreak is not eradicated.

"The limited amount of available milk increases production costs and makes it more difficult to maintain current quantities [of feta] on the market," says Prof Dimitris Gougoulis from the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Thessaly.

Another sheep farmer near Karditsa, Tassos Manakas, saw his 873-strong herd culled on 9 October.

He now spends his days sitting in a small room in his barn. "The shop is closed," he says bitterly.

Mr Manakas walks past the empty metal feeders and the milking room now gathering cobwebs. "I used to come in in the morning, hear the animals bleating, stroke them.

"The day they were culled, I was here. If you cut me that day, I wouldn't bleed."

AFP via Getty Images Blocks of feta cheese on sale at a shop in GreeceAFP via Getty Images

Authentic feta cheese can only come from Greece

He is flipping thoughtfully through a government document packed with numerical tables.

Affected farmers are being offered compensation of between €132 and €220 per sheep depending on its age. Farmers respond that the payments fall far short of covering their losses.

The government has also been criticised for its wider response to the outbreak. A National Scientific Committee for the Management and Control of Sheep and Goat Pox was only established only in late October - a full 14 months after the first case was detected.

Meanwhile, no lockdown zones were established in the areas where the first cases were recorded in late summer of 2024, and critics say that the state veterinary service is significantly understaffed.

At the same time, farmers have been arrested for the illegal transport of animals in trucks into areas considered disease-free. And local reports say infected animals have been buried in fields without notifying the authorities.

A spokesman for the Ministry of Rural Development and Food tells the BBC: "We implemented the plan to eradicate sheep pox from the very beginning, as provided for in the European protocols.

"The result was to reach almost zero cases in the spring of 2025. The decision to establish the scientific committee in October 2025 was taken under the pressure of one factor - many farmers did not comply with biosecurity measures, resulting in an explosion in cases."

Greece's Supreme Court has now ruled that prosecutors must investigate possible violations of biosecurity measures, which many critics say is overdue.

Across the country, there are still farms operating under 1960s standards – tin shacks, walls made of baked soil or cement bricks, and no fencing.

The BBC visited one such farm on the outskirts of the city of Larissa, in Thessaly. Two dead lambs were lying on the ground.

The owner insisted that there were no cases of pox on his farm. He refused to allow photographs. "Some animals have lumps on their chest. It's not pox, but no one will believe me," he says.

Sheep and goat farmers in Thessaly are calling for approval of mass vaccination of their herds, which they say is how the problem is tackled in Bulgaria and Turkey.

Such vaccination is allowed in an emergency under EU rules, and farmers are putting a lot of pressure on the government to request vaccines from the Commission's available stock.

However, the Greek government responds that mass vaccination could lead to Greece being classified as an endemic country for the diseases, which would bring restrictions on the export of sheep and goat's milk - and especially of feta cheese. Greek authorities also stress that there is currently no certified vaccine against sheep pox.

Prof Gougoulis points out that the existing older vaccines are effective in countries where pox is endemic, but "are not a tool for eradication [of the disease]". "They do not completely prevent infection, and the virus can continue to circulate within vaccinated populations."

Yet the situation now seems to be getting out of control.

Members of the National Committee for the Management and Control of Sheep and Goat Pox recently told journalists that livestock farmers in different parts of the country may have carried out as many as one million illegal vaccinations. This distorts the epidemiological picture and makes disease control even more difficult.

But many livestock farmers are angry with the officials' assumption. They say it is an arbitrary calculation and accuse the scientific committee of endangering the export of feta.

Farmer Haris Seskliotis, in the village of Rizomylos near Volos, listens to all this with deep concern. One infection was detected on his farm, leading to the preventive culling of 700 sheep.

It was the second time his farm was ruined, following the devastating floods in Thessaly in 2023.

"It's extremely harsh," he tells the BBC, walking through his sheep empty pens.

There are stacks of hay bales around meant for sheep to eat, now left unused in the yard of the farm and soon to rot.

Mr Seskliotis is not the kind of farmer who sits and counts his wounds. "I am thinking of setting up a new unit with my son for fattening calves," he says. "We have not learned anything other than raising herds."-BBC

More than 300 flights cancelled as Indian airline faces 'staff shortage'

India's biggest airline IndiGo faced a growing crisis, with more than 300 flights cancelled since Tuesday, leaving thousands of passengers stranded nationwide.

Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad and Bengaluru - among India's busiest airports - were worst hit.

The airline blamed technical glitches, weather and new crew rostering rules for the disruption.

The budget airline, with over 60% domestic market share, links major metros and smaller cities.

IndiGo said it had made "calibrated adjustments" to its schedule until Friday to stabilise operations.

On Thursday morning, ANI news agency reported 33 IndiGo flight cancellations at Delhi, 85 at Mumbai and 73 at Bengaluru.

Videos of frustrated flyers circulated on social media and many passengers took to X (formerly Twitter) to complain.

Most complaints on X received the airline's standard response: "Our operations are dependent on several factors, some of which are beyond our control and may impact the schedule."

India's aviation regulator is reportedly investigating the disruptions and has asked the airline to explain the reasons behind the cancellations and delays.

Since 1 November, IndiGo has faced pilot and crew shortages under new Flight Duty Time Limit (FDTL) rules, which limit flight hours and mandate more rest, media reports say.

However, the Federation of Indian Pilots said the cancellations "cannot be attributed" to the new rules, noting other airlines remain largely unaffected.

The BBC has reached out to IndiGo for a comment.

This crisis hits the reputation of the two-decade-old carrier, which built its brand on punctuality. However, in recent months its performance has slipped.

According to a recent survey by online community platform LocalCircles, 54% of the airline's passengers reported issues with its timeliness over the past year.-BBC

Meta starts kicking Australian children off Instagram and Facebook

Meta has started removing Australian children under 16 years old from its Instagram, Facebook and Threads platforms, a week before an official teen social media ban begins.

The tech giant announced last month it had begun notifying users aged between 13 to 15 years old that their accounts would start being shut down from 4 December.

An estimated 150,000 Facebook users and 350,000 Instagram accounts are expected to be affected. Threads, similar to X, can only be accessed via an Instagram account.

Australia's world-first social media ban starts on 10 December, with companies facing fines of up to A$49.5m (US$33m, £25m) if they fail to take "reasonable steps" to stop under-16s from having accounts.

A spokesperson for Meta told the BBC on Thursday that "compliance with the law will be an ongoing and multi-layered process".

"While Meta is committed to complying with the law, we believe a more effective, standardised, and privacy-preserving approach is needed," she said.

The government should require app stores to verify the age of users when they download apps and ask for parental approval for under-16s, Meta said, as this would eliminate the need for teens to verify their age across different apps.

Last month, Meta said users it had identified as under 16 would be able to download and save their posts, videos and messages before their accounts are deactivated.

Teens who believe they have been wrongly categorised as under 16 can ask for a review and submit a "video selfie" to verify their age. They can also provide a driver's licence or a government-issued identification.-BBC

How family firms can best plan for succession

When Rupert Murdoch and his children finally reached a deal earlier this year to end the years-long succession battle over the media mogul's empire, the high-profile saga offered a valuable lesson for every family-run company.

The clear message was that such firms need a thorough plan in place for how the business is handed over to the next generation, or else they could be mired in emotional and legal drama.

Here three family-owned and run companies, from both sides of the Atlantic, reveal how they have approached the succession issue.

Biscuit-maker Walker's Shortbread is one of Scotland's largest food exporters, with its tartan-coloured tins and packets a regular sight at supermarkets and airports around the world.

It was founded back in 1898 by Joseph Walker, and today his great-grandson Nicky Walker holds the top managing director position.

Walker's Shortbread The Walker family gathered at Walker's Shortbread head office. The late Sir Jim Walker is sitting front centreWalker's Shortbread

Nicky Walker, sat on the stairs, took the top job at Walker's Shortbread in 2022

Mr Walker says the business operates what it calls a "cousins consortium" model.

What this means, he explains, is that all members of the extended Walker family, and especially their children, are encouraged to join the business. And each is allowed to have a say on where they would ideally position themselves in a managerial role.

"Our succession plan essentially says that if you want to come into the business, there's a role for you here," says Mr Walker. "And since the company's expanding, there's a whole career to be formed and honed here."

He adds that when "points of contention" do come up, the aim is always to reach a consensus. "We have always reached decisions based on what is best for the company… with the firm understanding that the business always comes first.

"With the understanding that a unity of voice is of paramount importance, an acceptable outcome has always been achieved."

The company is also not averse to bringing in external experts, such as engaging with professional advisors on the formal, legal accept of succession planning, and the formation of an executive board with directors who are not family members.

Murdochs reach deal in succession battle over media empire

Former Walker's Shortbread director dies aged 80

Building a succession plan to bridge the gap between the skills in a business today and those needed tomorrow is critical for family businesses, says Charlie Grubb, a senior managing director at global recruitment company Robert Half.

"Emotional and personal dynamics can be a real challenge for family businesses when it comes to succession planning. There's a skill in being able to take that emotional family tie out of the decision-making process, and recognise there are family and leadership roles, and those might be quite different from each other."

But too often, companies fail to look ahead. More than four in 10 business leaders haven't identified someone to take over their role when they decide to move on, according to a survey in Canada this year by Robert Half.

Meanwhile, a separate 2025 report found that a lack of succession planning "could lead to increased business closures, job losses, and economic uncertainty".

Getty Images Packets of Walker's ShortbreadGetty Images

Annual revenues at Walker's Shortbread now exceed £200m

Mike Bronner is boss of California-based Dr Bronner's, well known in the US for its soaps, lotions and toothpaste. His grandfather Emanuel Bronner, who founded the business in 1948, didn't set up any paperwork for how it should be operated when he had to step away in the 1990s due to declining health.

Emanuel Bronner, who died in 1997, also ran afoul of the Internal Revenue Service, and left the family firm with a $2m (£1.5m) tax bill.

"We learned from that," says Mike Bronner. "And ever since we began thinking about the next generation, and how to ensure that two generations down the line we are still going to function with the same values we have today."

As for his own succession plan, Mr Bonner says he's seeing signs his children are interested in running the company. "My son Mike said he wants to be CEO and I asked him why, and he said, 'Well, I love the mission and the free lunches'."

What helps with succession planning is involving children early in the business. At St James Town Steak and Chops, a butchers and delicatessen in downtown Toronto, owner Mark Michelin has been training his two children, Noah and Alex, both in their mid-20s, to captain the 54-year-old family-run ship once he retires.

"It's best for us to have the business stay in the family," says Mr Michelin. "And that blood bond is something our customers appreciate, too.

"They often say to me, 'Oh wow, this is a third-generation family business, and I loved how your dad gave me some deli meats for free when we came in as kids'."

Mark Michelin Mark Michelin and his two sons outside of their shopMark Michelin

Mark Michelin is training his two sons to carry on running the family business

Back in the Scottish village of Aberlour, Nicky Walker says he firmly believes "that owning and managing a generational family business is an unbelievable privilege. And to have the opportunity to lay the foundations to be succeeded by our own family is fantastic but should never be taken for granted.

"The advice I would give, from my own journey, is that the full support and the great deal of guidance and nurturing I was offered was exceptional. And it is now incumbent upon myself and my generation to, in turn, offer the same, to the next generation.

"We need to offer them unequivocal support, and that is a message I would pass, with respect, to any family business."-BBC

US widens travel ban to more than 30 countries, Noem says

(Reuters) – The U.S. plans to expand the number of countries covered by its travel ban to more than 30, U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said on Thursday.

Noem, in an interview on Fox News’ “The Ingraham Angle,” was asked to confirm whether the administration of President Donald Trump would be increasing the number of countries on the travel ban list to 32.

“I won’t be specific on the number, but it’s over 30, and the president is continuing to evaluate countries,” she said.

Trump signed a proclamation in June banning the citizens of 12 countries from entering the United States and restricting those from seven others, saying it was needed to protect against “foreign terrorists” and other security threats. The bans apply to both immigrants and non-immigrants, such as tourists, students and business travelers.

Noem did not specify which countries would be added to the list.

“If they don’t have a stable government there, if they don’t have a country that can sustain itself and tell us who those individuals are and help us vet them, why should we allow people from that country to come here to the United States?” Noem said.

Reuters previously reported that the Trump administration was considering banning citizens of 36 additional countries from entering the United States, according to an internal State Department cable.

An expansion of the list would mark a further escalation of migration measures the administration has taken since the shooting of two National Guard members in Washington, D.C., last week.

Investigators say the shooting was carried out by an Afghan national who entered the U.S. in 2021 through a resettlement program under which Trump administration officials have argued there was insufficient vetting.

Advertisement

Days after the shooting, Trump vowed to “permanently pause” migration from all “Third World Countries,” although he did not identify any by name or define “third-world countries.”

Prior to that, officials from the Department of Homeland Security said Trump had ordered a widespread review of asylum cases approved under the administration of his predecessor, Democratic President Joe Biden and Green Cards issued to citizens of 19 countries.

Since returning to office in January, Trump has aggressively prioritized immigration enforcement, sending federal agents to major U.S. cities and turning away asylum seekers at the U.S.-Mexico border. His administration has frequently highlighted the deportation push, but until now it has put less emphasis on efforts to reshape legal immigration.

Bitcoin is down nearly 30% from its record high — history shows that’s normal

Bitcoin’s more than 30% drop from its record high underscores the volatility that has come to characterize the cryptocurrency.

Moves from previous cycles not only show how the current price swings are all part of bitcoin’s normal operating pattern but also how they may often precede a rally, according to figures compiled by CoinDesk Data for CNBC.

Bitcoin, the world’s largest cryptocurrency, dropped to a low of around $80,000 late last month before staging a rally and falling again this week. When bitcoin dropped to under $81,000, that represented an approximately 36% fall from its all-time high of around $126,000 hit earlier in October. As of Thursday, bitcoin was trading at over $93,000, according to Coinmetrics, a roughly 26% decline from its record high.

These price swings may seem large but they are normal in relation to bitcoin’s history.

Bitcoin’s price movement is often referred to in “cycles.” Generally, the bitcoin cycle refers to a four-year pattern of price movement that revolves around a key event known as the halving, a change to mining rewards that is written in bitcoin’s code. While there are signs that the typical timing and patterns of the cycles could be changing, the range of price movements appears to be consistent.

In the current cycle, bitcoin has already weathered a 32.7% pullback from March to August 2024 and a 31.7% decline between January and April 2025, according to CoinDesk Data.

“Looking at previous cycles, volatility of this magnitude appears consistent with long-term trends,” Jacob Joseph, senior research analyst at CoinDesk Data, told CNBC.

During the 2017 cycle, there were drawdowns of around 40% twice that year and then a 29% decline in November before bitcoin reached a new record high in December.

Looking back at the 2021 cycle, bitcoin recorded declines of 31.2% in January that year and 26% in February. There was a more than 55% correction between April and June 2021 as China banned bitcoin mining. The asset then rallied to a new high in November that year.

Advertisement

“While deeper mid-cycle corrections have certainly occurred, nearly all of them — aside from the mining-ban-drop in 2021 — took place within a broader bullish structure, often holding above key technical levels such as its 50-week moving average,” Joseph said.

What has driven market moves?

Beginning Oct. 10, more than 1.6 million traders suffered a combined $19.37 billion erasure of leveraged positions over a 24-hour period. Many traders were forced out of their positions and the impact of that cascaded across the industry.

That effect is still being felt, according to Lucy Gazmararian, founder of Token Bay Capital.

Botswana holds policy rate at first meeting under new governor

(Reuters) – Botswana’s central bank kept its main interest rate unchanged on Thursday, citing continued weakness in the diamond sector and its expectation that inflation will be within its objective range in the medium term.

The decision to keep the rate at 3.5% was the first under the Bank of Botswana’s new Governor Lesego Moseki.

“The economy is expected to continue to operate below full capacity. This outlook supports maintaining a broadly accommodative monetary policy stance,” Moseki told a press conference.

The Southern African country’s economy has been under pressure for more than a year because of a prolonged downturn in the global market for diamonds, its key export.

Real gross domestic product contracted 3% in the year to June 2025, a sharper decline than the 0.6% contraction in the previous 12 months.

Inflation is still within the central bank’s 3%-6% objective range but has been rising, reaching 3.9% year-on-year in October compared to 3.7% in September.

The Bank of Botswana forecasts inflation will average 5.3% next year, up from an average of 2.7% this year, and believes it is more likely it will overshoot than undershoot that forecast.

At its last monetary policy meeting in October the bank hiked its key rate by 160 basis points to try to narrow the gap with market lending rates, which had been driven higher by a liquidity squeeze linked to the country’s economic slump.

It said on Thursday that liquidity conditions had improved.

Kenya to sell 15% Safaricom stake to Vodacom in $1.6 billion deal

(Reuters) – Safaricom said late Wednesday that Kenya is selling a 15% stake in the telecom operator to South Africa’s Vodacom in a deal worth about $1.6 billion, as the government seeks to raise cash by offloading some state assets.

Facing high public debt, limited room to raise taxes, and annual debt repayments that absorb 40% of government revenues, President William Ruto’s administration has increasingly turned to asset sales to bolster its finances.

Safaricom, Kenya’s biggest company by market capitalization, accounts for a lion’s share of daily trading volumes on the Nairobi Securities Exchange.

Vodacom, which already owns 39.9% of Safaricom through Vodafone Kenya, will pay 34 shillings per share, a 20% premium to the share’s closing price of 28.20 shillings on Wednesday.

The purchase will lift Vodacom’s stake to 55%, giving the South African group effective control of Safaricom, widely known for its M-Pesa mobile money service.

Vodacom does not intend to launch a takeover offer once the acquisition is completed, Safaricom said in a statement late on Wednesday, adding that it will apply to the market regulator for an exemption.

The Kenyan government, which currently holds 35% of Safaricom, will see its stake reduced to 20%.

Vodacom will also buy the rights to future dividends on the state’s remaining shares, paying the government an upfront 40.2 billion shillings, Safaricom said.

Safaricom is held by a range of offshore funds and investors including HSBC, Norges Bank and Mobius, according to LSEG-compiled data.

African Development Bank says it plans $1.78 billion financing for Namibia

(Reuters) – The African Development Bank plans $1.78 billion of financing for Namibia over the next few years, backing projects in sectors such as transport, energy and water, a bank spokesperson said.

The financing is part of the bank’s strategy to support Namibia’s economic growth over 2025-2030, and the total amount of financing could change as it will be reviewed halfway through that period, the spokesperson added.

The majority of the money will be in the form of loans, though there will also be a grant component.

The spokesperson did not specify which transport, energy and water projects would receive the funds.

Resource-rich Namibia has been an exploration hotspot for global energy companies in recent years and is aiming for its first crude oil output by 2030, which could transform its small economy.

 Invest Wisely!

Bulls n Bears 

Cellphone:         +263 71 944 1674 | +27 79 993 5557 

Email:                <mailto:bulls at bullszimbabwe.com> bulls at bullszimbabwe.com

Website:             <http://www.bullszimbabwe.com> www.bullszimbabwe.com 

Blog:                  <http://www.bullszimbabwe.com/blog> www.bullszimbabwe.com/blog

Twitter (X):        @bullsbears2010

LinkedIn:           Bulls n Bears Zimbabwe

Facebook:           <http://www.facebook.com/BullsBearsZimbabwe> www.facebook.com/BullsBearsZimbabwe

INVESTORS DIARY 2025

Company

Event

Venue

Date & Time

Companies under Cautionary

CBZH

GetBucks

EcoCash

Padenga

Econet

RTG

Fidelity

TSL

FMHL

 <mailto:info at bulls.co.zw> 

DISCLAIMER: This report has been prepared by Bulls ‘n Bears, a division of Faith Capital (Pvt) Ltd for general information purposes only and does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy or subscribe for any securities. The information contained in this report has been compiled from s believed to be reliable, but no representation or warranty is made or guarantee given as to its accuracy or completeness. All opinions expressed and recommendations made are subject to change without notice. Securities or financial instruments mentioned herein may not be suitable for all investors. Securities of emerging and mid-size growth companies typically involve a higher degree of risk and more volatility than the securities of more established companies. Neither Faith Capital nor any other member of Bulls ‘n Bears nor any other person, accepts any liability whatsoever for any loss howsoever arising from any use of this report or its contents or otherwise arising in connection therewith. Recipients of this report shall be solely responsible for making their own independent investigation into the business, financial condition and future prospects of any companies referred to in this report. Other  Indices quoted herein are for guideline purposes only and d from third parties.

 (c) 2025 Web:  <http://www.bullszimbabwe.com> www.bullszimbabwe.com Email:  <mailto:bulls at bullszimbabwe.com> bulls at bullszimbabwe.com Tel: +27 79 993 5557 | +263 71 944 1674

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://listmail.bulls.co.zw/pipermail/bulls/attachments/20251205/111b6971/attachment-0001.html>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: image001.png
Type: image/png
Size: 9458 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://listmail.bulls.co.zw/pipermail/bulls/attachments/20251205/111b6971/attachment-0002.png>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: image002.jpg
Type: image/jpeg
Size: 29359 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://listmail.bulls.co.zw/pipermail/bulls/attachments/20251205/111b6971/attachment-0003.jpg>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: image003.jpg
Type: image/jpeg
Size: 29321 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://listmail.bulls.co.zw/pipermail/bulls/attachments/20251205/111b6971/attachment-0004.jpg>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: image004.png
Type: image/png
Size: 34378 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://listmail.bulls.co.zw/pipermail/bulls/attachments/20251205/111b6971/attachment-0003.png>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: image005.jpg
Type: image/jpeg
Size: 29321 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://listmail.bulls.co.zw/pipermail/bulls/attachments/20251205/111b6971/attachment-0005.jpg>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: oledata.mso
Type: application/octet-stream
Size: 65554 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://listmail.bulls.co.zw/pipermail/bulls/attachments/20251205/111b6971/attachment-0001.obj>