By Rafiq Raji, PhD
Twitter: @DrRafiqRaji
Global Markets
- Shares tick up on US holiday sales hopes, but oil rout checks enthusiasm
- Asian shares up 0.5 pct, S&P 500 futures up 0.3 pct
- Hopes of brisk US holiday sales lift shares
- Oil steady for now but on course to worst month since Oct 2008
- Anxiety over Sino-US “cold war” to curb risk appetite
Oil Markets
- Oil prices edge up after nearly 8 pct ‘Black Friday’ plunge
- Brent remains below $60 per bbl after almost 8-pct drop on Fri
- Oil plunge came amid broad market weakness
- Morgan Stanley expects weakness to last into 2019
- Brent crude oil futures up 0.7 pct at $59.20 per barrel (0049GMT)
- US WTI crude futures up 0.3 pct at $50.58 per barrel
Precious metals
- Gold prices flat amid stronger dollar, investors look to G20 summit
- Spot gold little changed at $1,222.36 per ounce (0114GMT)
- US gold futures flat at $1,223.3 per ounce
Grains
- Wheat futures jump nearly 1 pct on US export deal
- Most active CBOT wheat futures up 0.8 pct at $5.11-1/4 per bushel (0237GMT)
- Most active corn futures unchanged at $3.59 per bushel
- Most active soy futures unchanged at $8.81 per bushel
- Most active rice futures unchanged at $10.76 per bushel
Key African events or data releases today
[Posts & comments at my Twitter handle @DrRafiqRaji]
- Blue economy conference in Mombasa, Kenya, starts today; 26-28 Nov
- Ghana to announce interest rate decision [fcst. 17.0%, prev. 17.0%]
- South Africa’s state capture inquiry continues this week; Mantashe to testify on Tuesday
Key African events or data releases over the weekend & early a.m today
[Posted & commented on some headlines below at my Twitter handle @DrRafiqRaji]
- Car bomb strikes near religious centre in Somalia – Al Shabaab
- Airtel Africa appoints global banks for IPO
- Egypt and Sudan set up joint patrols against cross-border threats
- Uganda’s Museveni says capsized cruise boat was overloaded, 29 dead
- Uganda boat which sank was carrying more than twice its capacity
- Chad president to make first Israel visit on Sunday – Israeli PM’s office
- Death toll from Uganda boat cruise accident jumps to 29
- Islamic State claims attack in southern Libya that killed at least nine
- Nigeria’s Buhari breaks silence on soldier deaths in Islamist attack
- Four Finns among five killed in private plane crash in Zimbabwe
- US says receives credible terrorist threat against facilities in Congo
- Zimbabwe’s Mugabe in Singapore for medical treatment, unable to walk
- Congo approves clinicial trials for ebola treatments
- Mali says it confirms death of veteran jihadist leader Koufa
- Tunisia’s powerful union calls new national strike to press wage demands
- Tunisian PM seeks realistic pay deal with union
- Armed men kidnap 15 girls in southeastern Niger – mayor
- Suspected Islamic State gunmen kill nine in southern Libya – resident
- Ahead of Nigeria’s election, opposition weaponises soldier deaths
- S&P keeps South Africa in ‘junk’ status, citing anaemic growth
- France says puts 30 jihadists “out of action” in Mali
- New Barrick CEO eyes miners’ alliance to fix Tanzania tax row
- South African state pension fund says CEO resigns
- South Africa’s KPMG reports ex-partner to police over bank scandal – sources
- Congo’s Tshisekedi and Kamerhe form presidential pact
- Portugal promises to help Angola recover “unexplained assets”
- Africa Crude – Key Nigerian programmes in Jan still absent, OSPs emerge
- Ugandan women fight their way out of the slums, dream of boxing glory
- France’s JCDecaux signals Nigerian ambition with traffic service
- Egypt on track to achieve its financial targets – finmin
- Kenyan woman jailed for six years for circumcising twin daughters
- Tunisian activist call for protests over Saudi crown prince visit
- South Africa to invest $1 bln in South Sudan’s oil sector
- UK makes biggest investment to end FGM in Africa
- French commission to urge return of looted African art
- South Africa’s Transnet halts Durban port berths project over tender probe
- Kenya Power gets tough on late bill payers after profit plunges
- Africa missing out on boom in Chinese tourism
- CAR war crimes suspect Yekatom protests transfer to Hague
- Bank of Kigali’s $67.5 mln cash call gets 108 pct subscription rate
- Uganda shilling weakens on strong dollar demand from commercial banks
- Ethiopian Airlines steps up hunt for African connections
- Mauritius lowers sugar output forecast again
- Telkom Kenya gets $40 mln loan from European Investment Bank
- Islamic State claims attacks in West Africa caused 118 casaulties
- South Africa’s Life Healthcare FY earnings up 40.6 pct
- South Africa’s PPC half-year earnings rise on rest of Africa growth
- In Tanzania, a bulldozer president tests donors
- Kenya Power’s FY pretax profit dives 60 pct
N.B. Full stories of above headlines are available on Reuters