By Rafiq Raji, PhD
Twitter: @DrRafiqRaji

Global Markets

• Asian shares tick up but growth worries keep investors on edge
• Asian shares firm after Wall Street gains overnight
• Overall sentiment still fragile – ANZ analyst
• Oil rebounds after steep sell-off earlier this week

Oil Markets

• Oil prices pressured by rising US crude stocks, but expected OPEC supply cut supports
• Brent crude oil futures down 0.3 pct at $63.28 per barrel (0141GMT)
• US WTI crude futures down 0.5 pct at $53.38 per barrel

Grains (21 Nov)

• Soybean futures up on hopes of progress in US-China dispute
• Traders await Trump-Xi meeting at G20 summit
• Weak export demand weighs on wheat futures
• Corn is little changed before US Thanksgiving holiday
• Most active CBOT soybean contract ended up 2 cents at $8.83 a bushel
• Corn gained ½ cent to close at $3.61-3/4 per bushel
• Wheat slipped 1-3/4 cents to $5.06-3/4 per bushel

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

• South Africa’s Ramaphosa to address NCOP today
• Nigeria central bank to decide interest rates [fcst. 14.0%, prev. 14.0%]
• South Africa central bank to decide interest rates [fcst. 6.5%, prev. 6.5%]
• South Africa’s state capture inquiry continues, former treasury DG Fuzile to continue testimony
• Election campaigns kick off in DRC today
• Mozambique president Filipe Nyusi in Kenya on state visit; 21-24 Nov

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

• Libyan gunmen free kidnapped Egyptians held over business dispute
• Congo confirms near record number of new ebola cases on Wednesday
• IMF says to help Mozambique conduct corruption analysis
• Lost live, lost billions: the cost of child marriage in Africa
• Africa Crude – Nigerian programmes slowly emerge, Qua Ibo down in Jan
• Tens of thousands ‘left to starve’ as Mali conflict escalates
• 40^th Cairo Film Festival embraces virtual reality
• South African watchdog orders 6-mth hold on job cuts in Sibanye-Lonmin deal
• Gunmen kidnap Italian volunteer, wound children in Kenya
• South African utility Eskom’s new strategy to be finalised in February
• Russian oil firm signs initial exploration deal with South Sudan
• Violence-ridden Central African Republic on road to famine – UN
• Uganda to make new telecoms investors share infrastructure
• South African state pension fund CEO intends to resign – Treasury
• Gunmen hit Libyan el Sharara oilfield sub-station, output not affected – NOC
• Egypt stocks slides on blue-chip sell-off, most Gulf markets gains
• Stanbic sees June 2019 close for $2.5 bln debt deal for Uganda’s oil pipeline
• Ugandan shilling steady, expected to gain due to remittances and charity flows
• Zambia’s copper output up 10.4 pct y/y in September
• South African inflation meets forecasts as food prices fall
• Arianespace launches Morocco’s second earth observation satellite
• South Africa CPI rises to 5.1 pct y/y in October
• South Africa’s Lewis H1 earnings gain on upbeat sales growth
• Trump and land fears boost South Africa’s white right ‘state’
• South Africa’s Sasol flags up to 29 pct higher H1 profit
• South Africa’s Mr Price promotes corporate finance director to CFO

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