Flash Briefing: Bitcoin jumps 33% in week; WhatsApp hacked; $2bn Roundup award; Discovery, Shoprite, Vodacom, Kumba, Pepkor.

One and a half billion people worldwide who use WhatsApp to make free phone calls are discovering it does come at a price. The share price of German chemicals group Bayer took another hit yesterday after a California court awarded $2bn in punitive damages to a couple claiming weed killer Roundup caused their cancer. The world’s largest crypto currency, Bitcoin, is on the hop again, the price rising above $8 000 in Asia yesterday. South African share prices edged lower towards yesterday’s close with the overall index ending 0.25% down and losing shares outpointing winners by 235 to 151.