In today’s BizNews Premium Editor’s Desk, Alec Hogg looks behind the curtain ahead of Budget lock-up — why South Africa’s state has become too big, what a shrinking GDP-per-capita scoreboard signals, and what to watch for in the Minister’s numbers. He also flags a sobering Financial Times read on Donald Trump’s Iran dilemma and the rising risk of conflict, and ends with a practical Economist explainer on HRV — the wearable metric that may be the best indicator of overall health.