By Rafiq Raji, PhD
Twitter: @DrRafiqRaji
Global Markets
- Asia shares bounce from 2-mth lows as US-China trade war fears ease
- Markets see Trump’s tariffs as negotiation strategy, not final policy
- MSCI Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan up 0.2 pct
- Markets in mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan closed today (Thursday)
Oil Markets
- Oil gains on surprise drawdown in US crude inventories
- US WTI crude for May delivery up 0.3 pct at $63.56 a barrel (0140GMT)
- Front-month London Brent crude for June delivery up 0.3 pct at $68.22 per barrel
- Shanghai September crude futures untraded due to public holiday, down 0.8 pct on Wednesday
Precious metals
- Gold edges lower as fears of all-out US-China trade war ease
- Spot gold down 0.2 pct at $1,331 per ounce (0052GMT)
- US gold futures down 0.4 pct at $1,335.10 per ounce
Grains
- Soybeans edge higher, Chinese tariffs cap gains
- Most active CBOT wheat futures up 0.9 pct at $4.59-3/4 a bushel (0033GMT)
- Most active corn futures up 0.2 pct at $3.81-3/4 a bushel
- Most active soybean futures up 0.3 pct at $10.18-1/4 a bushel
- Most active rice futures unchanged at $12.42 per hundredweight
Soft commodities (4 Apr)
- Arabica coffee comes off 9-mth low on position rolling
- May arabica coffee settled up 0.3 pct at $1.169 per lb
- May robusta coffee settled up 0.9 pct at $1,755 per tonne
- May New York cocoa settled down 0.9 pct at $2,475 per tonne
- May London cocoa settled down 0.5 pct at £1,725 per tonne
- May raw sugar settled down 1.6 pct at 12.27 cents per lb
- May white sugar settled down 1 pct at $351.20 per tonne
Key African events or data releases today
[Posts & comments at my Twitter handle @DrRafiqRaji]
- Zimbabwe’s Mnangagwa 5-day China trip continues
- Nigeria’s Buhari slated to travel to London before end of the week
- South Africa Standard Bank PMI for Mar-18 due (prev. 51.4)
- Nigeria Stanbic IBTC Bank PMI for Mar-18 due (prev. 56.0)
Key African events or data releases yesterday & early a.m today
[Posted & commented on some headlines below at my Twitter handle @DrRafiqRaji]
- Julius Maada Bio sworn in as new Sierra Leone president
- Oppositions’s Maada Bio wins Sierra Leone presidency – election commission
- Morocco mulls ‘all options’ over its Western Sahara truce threat claim – minister
- European tourists were not kidnapped in Cameroon, tour operator says
- Ghana to review corporate tax exemptions for resources sector
- Social welfare has lifted 50 million out of poverty, World Bank says
- South African court backs once empowered, always empowered principle
- Nigeria’s central bank keeps main interest rate at record high 14 pct
- Nigeria’s president approves release of $1 bln for military equipment – defence minister
- Mali war crimes suspect appears before Hague war crimes judges
- South Africa signs $4.7 bln of delayed renewable energy deals
- Zambia withdraws military personnel deployed to fight cholera
- Algeria’s Bouteflika names four ministers and leaves energy minister in place
- Egypt to hold long-awaited local elections next year
- Libyans to take part in public consultations to help end political deadlock
- In Africa, scant data protection leaves internet users exposed
- South African police arrest five over mine worker killings
- Kenyan fund targets $15 mln green bond for water projects
- Tight liquidity supports Kenyan shilling
- Congo opposition leader held Italian citizenship for 16 years, town says
- Cameroon security forces free 18 hostages in Anglophone region
- Mauritius offers 5-year treasury bond worth 2 bln rupees
- Ugandan shilling stable, dollar demand seen rising
N.B. Full stories of above headlines are available on Reuters