Risk South Africa rankings 2011

Few markets have managed to escape the turmoil created by the prolonged eurozone debt crisis and eleventh-hour debt ceiling agreement in the US, and South Africa is no exception. For the second year in a row, Absa Capital took the top spot in the Risk South Africa rankings, with Standard Bank and Rand Merchant Bank running a close second and third, respectively

Newton's cradle demonstrates how energy travels through a row of touching metal spheres. Once the end ball is lifted and released, the energy of its impact travels through the row, kicking the last one away. A similar dynamic can be witnessed in the current financial crisis, with subprime mortgage defaults translating into structured credit defaults, then bank collapses, sovereign bailouts and – over the last 18 months – fears about the sovereigns themselves.

The spread of the crisis can also be