By Rafiq Raji, PhD
Twitter: @DrRafiqRaji
Global Markets
- Asia stocks rise as end to US govt shutdown buoys Wall St, dollar steady
- MSCI Asia-Pacific index up 0.2 pct, Nikkei adds 0.45 pct
- Wall St rises to new record highs after US govt shutdown ends
- Dollar wavers, lift from end to US govt shutdown short-lived
- Some focus on BOJ decision and Kuroda’s policy views
Oil Markets
- Oil rises on economic growth, OPEC/Russian supply curbs
- Spot Brent crude futures at $69.33 a barrel (0148GMT), up 0.4 pct
- US WTI crude futures at $63.90, up 0.5 pct
Precious metals
- Gold steady on weak dollar
- Spot gold little changed at $1,334.36 an ounce (0111GMT)
- US gold futures up 0.2 pct at $1,333.90
Grains
- Soybeans snap winning streak, still hover near 5-week high
- Most active CBOT soybean futures down 0.1 pct at $9.83-1/2 a bushel (0152GMT)
- Most active corn futures skid 0.3 pct to $3.51 a bushel
- Most active wheat futures slipped 0.4 pct to $4.24 a bushel
Soft commodities (22 Jan)
- Raw sugar turns lower, New York cocoa buoyed by firm sterling
- March raw sugar settled down 0.6 pct to 13.17 cents per lb
- March white sugar settled down 0.2 pct at $352.90 per tonne
- March New York cocoa settled up 0.4 pct at $1,938 per tonne
- March London cocoa settled down 0.7 pct at £1,370 per tonne
- March arabica coffee settled up 1.1 pct at $1.2255 per lb
- March robusta coffee settled up 0.6 pct at $1,767 per tonne
Key African events or data releases today
[Posts & comments at my Twitter handle @DrRafiqRaji]
- World Economic Forum starts in Davos [South Africa’s Ramaphosa to be watched]
- African Union summit continues [Started 22 Jan, key event 28-29 Jan]
Key African events or data releases yesterday
[Posted & commented on some headlines below at my Twitter handle @DrRafiqRaji]
- Morocco’s king appoints 5 new ministers
- Weah sworn in as Liberia president, vows to end corruption
- Egypt dismisses report US has banned cargo transport from Cairo airport
- Gambia arrests top Jammeh generals after they return from exile
- South Africa’s Eskom looks to borrow $1.7 bln to ease financial crisis
- Nigeria’s Oando and key shareholder settle longrunning dispute
- Sudanese authorities release Reuters, AFP journalists
- South Africa’s ANC says deciding whether to remove Zuma as president
- Egypt’s former supply minister cleared in wheat buying scandal
- Dutch court decision on South Africa’s Steinhoff probe delayed again
- Kenya’s Nakumatt Supermarkets goes into administration
- South African markets strengthen on prospects of a Zuma exit
- Weekend clashes during Ethiopia religious festival leave 7 dead
- Kenya central bank holds main lending rate at 10 pct
- IMF cuts South Africa’s growth forecast for next two years
- Kenya pledges to try to live within its means after criticism
- Algeria’s energy earnings up 16.5 pct in 2017 – customs
- Ghana central bank keeps policy rate unchanged at 20 pct
- Botswana to spend $495 mln to extend power grid to northwest
- Kenya fiscal deficit to fall to 6 pct of GDP in 2018/19 fiscal year
- South Africa’s Eskom Eurobond up 1.4 cent as new board appointed
- South Africa bourse may suspend trade in Steinhoff bonds over results delay
- Offshore investors net buyers of South African stocks, sell bonds
N.B. Full stories of above headlines are available on Reuters
