By Rafiq Raji, PhD
Twitter: @DrRafiqRaji

Global Markets

• Asia stocks falter as China knocked by renewed trade war fears
• Asian shares down; Chinese mainland stocks tumble
• Treasury yields, dollar up after Fed minutes; Wall St stocks drop
• Sept FOMC minutes show Fed united on rate hikes
• US report doesn’t label China as currency manipulator
• WTI crude dips below $70/bbl after large stock build

Oil Markets

• Oil steadies amid Saudi tensions after plunge on jump in US stockpiles
• US crude stocks up 6.5 mln bbls in fourth weekly build – EIA
• US crude production dips to below 11 mln bpd
• Fall in Iran oil exports helps support prices
• Brent crude futures down 0.1 pct at $80.00 a barrel (0650GMT)
• US WTI intermediate crude futures up 1 cent at $69.76 a barrel

Precious metals

• Gold holds tight range as dollar firms, stocks ease
• Spot gold up 0.1 pct at $1,223.78 an ounce (0403GMT)
• US gold futures flat at $1,226.90 an ounce

Grains

• Soybean prices edge down as US harvest pace picks up
• Most active CBOT wheat futures down 0.4 pct at $5.15-1/4 per bushel (0009GMT)
• Most active corn futures down 0.4 pct at $3.72-3/4 per bushel
• Most active soy futures down 0.3 pct at $8.83 per bushel
• Most active rice futures unchanged at $10.96 per hundredweight

Key African events or data releases today
[Posts & comments at my Twitter handle @DrRafiqRaji]

• South Africa mining production data for Aug-18 expected [fcst. -10.2% yy, prev. -5.2%]
• Final day for Nigerian political parties to submit list of candidates to electoral agency

Key African events or data releases yesterday & early a.m today
[Posted & commented on some headlines below at my Twitter handle @DrRafiqRaji]

• Hoegh Gallant LNG carrier leaves Egypt, sets US destination
• South Africa’s rand retreats due to hawkish Fed, mining data ahead
• South Africa’s Old Mutual sells all 5.5 mln shares in Nedbank
• Tax byte: Africans fear trend towards levies on data, services
• South African retailer Mr Price says CEO to retire by year-end
• Wooing investors, Rwanda hosts first tantalum-tracking blockchain
• Germany’s Voith to supply more turbines for Ethiopia’s Renaissance Dam
• Congo’s ebola outbreak to worsen without stepped-up response – WHO committee
• South Africa’s Ramaphosa orders inquiry at $142 bln state pension fund
• Zambia’s finance minister says new mining taxes will not hit operations
• Tanzania charges Acacia subsidiaries with tax evasion, corruption
• Steinhoff’s investors to suspend legal battle as firm recovers
• Morocco trade deficit expands by 8.2 pct Jan-Sept
• Africa Crude – Offers for Nigerian edge up, buyers await Dec programmes
• South African riots over poor services, poverty hit record in 2018
• Nigeria central bank, MTN getting closer to settlement – minister
• Congo accuses Angola of violent expulsions, Luanda denies
• Troops kill two amid unrest in Comoros over constitutional change
• Nigerian politician Ibori loses appeal against UK graft conviction
• Congo summons Angola ambassador following expulsion of migrants
• Egypt resumes restoration of historic al-Zahir Baybars mosque
• Nigerian Senate backs $2.79 bln eurobond issue, warns of debt overhang
• Buy a blender online in Mogadishu? E-commerce comes to Somalia
• About a thousand workers protest over pay at South African arms maker Denel
• Acacia Mining says another employee arrested by Tanzania anti-corruption body
• South Africa’s retail sales jump 2.5 pct y/y as spending on consumer goods rises
• Zika in Africa: Rare birth defect on the rise in Angola
• Nigeria state oil company denies existence of $3.5 bln fuel subsidy fund
• Ugandan shilling unchanged, commodity flows offer support
• Workers strike over pay at South African arms dealer Denel
• Egypt plans to issue international sovereign sukuk in 2019-2020
• Danone quarterly sales growth slows on weak China, Morocco boycott
• Insight – How Russia moved into Central Africa
• South African pharmacy group Dis-Chem HY profit uip as market share increases

N.B. Full stories of above headlines are available on Reuters