Co-founder and chief executive officer of Nvidia Corp, Jensen Huang
Image: Chesnot/Getty Images
Wake up to the shifts shaping the future.
From boardroom shakeups and billion-dollar bets to the latest tech breakthroughs rewriting the rules, The Company Brief is your front-row seat to the stories moving markets and mindsets.
We cut through the noise so you can stay ahead of the curve, one bold business move at a time.
Strong commodity prices, tariffs in play – what’s really driving SA exports?
Even though precious metals such as platinum were excluded from US trade tariffs and saw red-hot price gains last year, they contributed far less than expected to the value of South Africa’s exports in October, Statistics South Africa data shows. The value of South Africa’s exports rose in October 2025 even as United States tariffs on local goods, which took effect in August, began to bite. According to Statistics South Africa’s Export and Import Unit Value Indices, export prices increased 5.5 % year-on-year and 0.4 % month-on-month. Import prices fell 0.2 % annually and 0.9 % month-on-month. These latest figures highlight the complex interplay of global commodity prices, tariff policy, and domestic export dynamics. They offer a snapshot of South Africa’s external trade environment as the country navigates both strong commodity markets and trade restrictions.
Nvidia CEO Huang says the next generation of chips is in full production
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang said on Monday that the company’s next generation of chips is in “full production,” saying they can deliver five times the artificial-intelligence computing of the company’s previous chips when serving up chatbots and other AI apps. He noted that the chips will arrive later this year. Additionally, Nvidia executives said that the chips are already in the company's labs, being tested by AI firms. Nvidia is facing increasing competition from rivals as well as its own customers. The Vera Rubin platform, made up of six separate Nvidia chips, is expected to debut later this year, with the flagship server containing 72 of the company’s graphics units and 36 of its new central processors. Huang showed how they can be strung together into "pods" with more than 1,000 Rubin chips and said they could improve the efficiency of generating what are known as "tokens" - the fundamental unit of AI systems - by 10 times.
Samsung likely to flag 160% jump in Q4 profit as AI boom stokes chip prices
Samsung Electronics is expected to flag a 160% jump in its fourth-quarter operating profit, spurred by a severe chip shortage that has sharply driven up memory prices as customers scramble to meet booming demand for artificial intelligence. Semiconductor prices have rocketed in recent months, as the industry's shift to AI-related chips has curbed production for traditional memory, while demand has been surging for both conventional and advanced chips to train and run AI models. Samsung is likely to estimate an operating profit of 16.9 trillion won ($11.7 billion) for the October to December period, according to LSEG SmartEstimate from 31 analysts, which is weighted toward those who are more consistently accurate.
Dow hits record, energy stocks end higher after US strikes Venezuela
Wall Street ended higher on Monday, with surging financial shares helping lift the Dow Jones Industrial Average to an all-time peak, while energy firms jumped after a U.S. military strike captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. Investors bet Washington's move against Venezuela's leadership would allow U.S. firms access to the world's largest oil reserves. President Donald Trump's administration plans to meet with executives from U.S. oil companies this week to discuss boosting Venezuelan production. The S&P 500 energy index rose 2.7% to its highest since March 2025, with heavyweights Exxon Mobil and Chevron both surging. Weapons manufacturers also advanced after Washington's military action. Lockheed Martin and General Dynamics climbed, while the S&P 500 aerospace and defence index rose to a record high.