By Rafiq Raji, PhD
Twitter: @DrRafiqRaji
Global Markets
- Stock markets tumble on tech sell-off, dollar sags
- MSCI Asia-Pacific index down 0.9 pct, Nikkei sheds 0.85 pct
- Tech shares fall, tracking losses by Wall St peers
- Dollar sags after weak US housing-related data
- Long-term US yields hover near 7-wk lows
Oil Markets
- Oil treads water amid expected OPEC cuts, gloomy economic outlook
- OPEC, allies to meet on Dec. 6 to discuss supply cuts
- Cuts would counter demand slowdown, surge in US output
- IEA warns of “negative implications” of supply cuts
- Cautious investors have pulled large investments out of oil
- Brent crude futures down 4 cents at $66.75 per barrel (0250GMT)
- US WTI crude futures down 6 cents at $57.14 per barrel
Precious metals
- Gold prices steady amid softer dollar
- Spot gold down 0.1 pct at $1,222.71 per ounce (0117GMT)
- US gold futures down 0.2 pct at $1,223.5 per ounce
Grains
- Soybeans edge higher, US-China trade war anxiety curbs gains
- Most active CBOT wheat futures down 0.3 pct at $4.97 per bushel (0137GMT)
- Most active corn futures up 0.1 pct at $3.62-1/2 per bushel
- Most active soy futures up 0.1 pct at $8.74-1/4 per bushel
- Most active rice futures unchanged at $10.77 per hundredweight
Key African events or data releases today
[Posts & comments at my Twitter handle @DrRafiqRaji]
- South Africa’s state capture inquiry continues; Gordhan to continue testimony
- Public holiday in Nigeria
Key African events or data releases yesterday & early a.m today
[Posted & commented on some headlines below at my Twitter handle @DrRafiqRaji]
- Africa Crude – Angolan January programme emerges; no sign of Nigerian plans
- Soccer-Spain, Portugal propose 2030 World Cup bid with Morocco – PM
- South African opposition wants payments to Ramaphosa campaign fund investigated
- US Treasury places sanctions on Libyan Islamist commander Badi
- US sanctions South African for helping North Korea acquire oil
- Kenya bans charity Marie Stopes from providing abortion services
- Congo spy agency informant, army colonel deny role in UN experts’ killing
- Mali singer Salif Keita highlights plight of African albinos
- South Africa’s Naspers sees higher first-half core headline profit
- Portugal, Morocco to invite bids for power link after studies in 2019
- IMF says optimism in South Africa’s economic recovery fading
- Egypt sells $1.7 bln worth of dollar t-bills – central bank
- Mali to produce lithium by 2020 with 694,000 T discovered
- Nigeria’s Abubakar promises to boost oil investment, cut subsidies if elected
- Union to strike at Sibanye-Stillwater’s South African gold operations
- Nigeria opposition’s Abubakar says to invest $90 bln annually on infrastructure – election manifesto
- Uganda shilling firmer, helped by remittance inflows
- Zimbabwe to let gold, platinum mines retain higher dollar earnings
- South Africa’s Barloworld in talks to buy a Caterpillar business
- Kenyan shilling inches up against the dollar
- Kenyan logistics start-up Sendy plans second fundraising
- Zimbabwe allows gold mining firms to retain 55 pct of dollar earnings
- South Africa’s Netcare to pay special dividend, FY earnings inch up
- South Africa’s Astral Foods FY profit soars 88 pct
- South Africa’s Barloworld FY profit jumps on strong Russian business
N.B. Full stories of above headlines are available on Reuters