How the 1967 stock market boom shaped the career of economist Azar Jammine

Stephen Grootes interviews Dr Azar Jammine, chief economist at Economatrix about his career and personal finances.

Listen to the interview in the audio player below.

Dr Azar Jammine stands out as one of South Africa’s most respected independent economic analysts.

For four decades, he has combined rigorous data-driven insight with a clarity of explanation that resonates with business leaders, policymakers and markets alike.

He holds a BSc (Hons) in Mathematical Statistics and a BA (Hons) in Economics from the University of the Witwatersrand, an MSc in Economics from the London School of Economics, and a PhD from the London Business School.

These days, Jammine is the Director and Chief Economist at Econometrix, one of South Africa’s foremost independent economic research and forecasting consultancies.

Established in 1982, Econometrix has earned a reputation for its comprehensive analyses of both domestic and global economic trends, a reputation largely built on Jammine’s own prolific output and public engagement.

He has held his current role since December 1985, during which time he has developed a significant public profile as a commentator on economic affairs in South African and international media.

Speaking to Stephen Grootes on The Money Show, Jammine says his passion for economics started more than 50 years ago.

"...there was a boom in the stock market from 1967 to 1969, and I was fascinated by this. But at the time I had to choose a career, and I decided and was awarded a scholarship by Old Mutual to become an actuary."

- Azar Jammine, chief economist - Econometrix

"The very first job that I applied for an got was as an investment analyst...and that gave me a wonderful background to the investment world and to economics more generally. Having completed that, I decided that I really wanted to deal with the broader economy, rather than analysing specific companies."

- Azar Jammine, chief economist - Econometrix

"It was a fairly basic but sound education that I received at school. But it wasn't anything that necessarily led me to thinking about the business world or becoming an economist. I only really learned about becoming an economist really, whilst I was in university..."

- Azar Jammine, chief economist - Econometrix

Scroll to the top of the article to listen to the full interview.