By Rafiq Raji, PhD
Twitter: @DrRafiqRaji
Global Markets
- Asian shares pare losses on US-China trade optimism, oil slides
- MSCI ex-Japan off 1.4 pct, Nikkei plunges over 3 pct
- Asian suppliers of iPhone parts down sharply
- Euro breaks key chart support of $1.13 to lowest since mid-2017
- Dollar benefits from euro, pound sell-off, US rate hike bets
Oil Markets
- Oil falls as Trump raps OPEC’s supply cut plan, global markets skid
- Brent below $70/b, WTI below $60/b amid broader market woes
- Saudi Arabia says there is need to cut 1 mln bpd of supply
- Trump says OPEC should not cut supply
- Brent crude futures down 0.9 pct at $69.47 per barrel (0214GMT)
- US WTI crude futures down 1.3 pct at $59.15 per barrel
Precious metals
- Gold prices inch up after hitting 1-mth low
- Spot gold up 0.2 pct at $1,202.99 per ounce (0125GMT)
- US gold futures flat at $1,203.4 per ounce
Grains
- Wheat slips from 3-wk high, soybeans rise
- Most active CBOT wheat futures down 0.4 pct at $5.17-3/4 per bushel (0344GMT)
- Most active corn futures down 0.3 pct at $3.70-1/4 per bushel
- Most active soy futures down 0.3 pct at $8.85-3/4 per bushel
- Most active rice futures unchanged at $10.65 per hundredweight
Key African events or data releases today
[Posts & comments at my Twitter handle @DrRafiqRaji]
- South Africa’s state capture inquiry continues
- Paris Peace Forum contiunes today; a number of African heads of state in attendance
- Libya conference in Italy today
Key African events or data releases yesterday & early a.m today
[Posted & commented on some headlines below at my Twitter handle @DrRafiqRaji]
- South Africa’s Telkom H1 adjusted headline EPS up 10.3 pct
- Tunisia must control wage bill, IMF warns after deal with union
- Tunisia parliament approves prime minister’s cabinet reshuffle
- Tunisia expects record number of tourists, up to nine million in 2019
- Egypt tells Israel it needs to de-escalate Gaza violence
- Two Congo opposition leaders pull support for joint election candidate
- Libya rivals arrive for Italy summit after election shelved
- Management contributed to collapse of Nigeria’s Skye Bank – deposit insurer
- UN Security Council set to lift Eritrea sanctions on Wednesday
- Dozens in court as Ethiopia says security chiefs ordered attack on PM
- Nigeria telecoms regulator approves Teleology takeover of 9-mobile
- Kidnappers free last of 80 Cameroon schoolboys
- IMF says held constructive talks with Zambia on restoring debt sustainability
- Sierra Leone ruling against palm oil company will empower communities – campaigners
- Women cancer patients learn makeup tips in new Egypt workshop
- South Africa’s Brait first-half net asset value falls
- Africa Crude – Weak Asian demand, high freight weigh
- Congo opposition supporters protest against joint election candidate
- Ivory Coast Oct cocoa grinding unchanged y/y – exporter stats
- Migrants rescued by cargo ship refuse to disembark at Libyan port
- Egypt Sisi to visit Italy for Libya conference
- South Africa’s competition watchdog rules SABC, Multichoice deal a merger
- Ethiopia also arrested 27 METEC employees, police officials
- Ethiopia’s attorney-general alleges vast corruption at military-run Metec
- Ethiopia arrests 36 intelligence officials over alleged corruption, rights abuses
- Egypt sells 695.10 euros in 1-yr euro-denominated t-bills – cbank
- Mubadala to buy 20 pct interest in Egypt’s Nour offshore concession from Eni
- Italy hosts Libya conference to push new UN peace plan
- Kenyan shilling under pressure due to oil importer dollar demand
- Uganda shilling steady as pending taxes trim demand
- Zimbabwe invites bids for struggling national airline
- South Africa’s Eskom warns of power cuts due to low coal stockpiles
- Kenya to sell 20-yr infrastructure bond worth 50 bln shillings in Nov- cenbank
- South Africa Vodacom H1 profit down 13.5 pct
N.B. Full stories of above headlines are available on Reuters
