By Rafiq Raji, PhD
Twitter: @DrRafiqRaji
Global Markets
- Asian shares ride Wall Street surge, oil rally
- Trump official says Fed chief Powell’s job is safe
- Nikkei rise 3.7 pct; dollar gains most vs yen since April overnight
- Gold hovers below 6-mth highs
Oil Markets
- US oil prices extend gains as equities rise, but economic worries weigh
- Brent yet to trade; rose 8 pct to $46.22 per barrel previously
- US WTI crude futures up 0.6 pct at $46.48 per barrel (0032GMT)
Precious metals
- Gold edges up but risk-on sentiment limits gains
- Spot gold up 0.4 pct at $1,271.85 per ounce (0102GMT)
- US gold futures up 0.1 pct at $1,273.9 per ounce
Key African events or data releases today
[Posts & comments at my Twitter handle @DrRafiqRaji]
- Ghana referendum on new regions today
- Nigeria FX reserves data for Dec-18 expected [prev. $41.99B]
Key African events or data releases yesterday & early a.m today
[Posted & commented on some headlines below at my Twitter handle @DrRafiqRaji]
- Deposed Egyptian presidents come face to face in court
- France drops charges against Rwandan officials – judicial source
- 3 Congo opposition cities excluded from presidential election
- Islamic State claims attack on Libya’s foreign ministry in Tripoli
- Security forces disperse Sudanese demonstrators after week of protests
- Congo opposition cry foul over web-enabled voting machines
- Several dead in suicide attach on Libyan foreign ministry
- Russia’s Nornickel terminates agreement with Botswana’s BCL on asset sale
- Gunmen attack HQ of Libya’s foreign ministry in Tripoli – Reuters witness
- More arrests made over murder of 2 Scandinavian women in Morocco
- Election fears dim Christmas cheer in Congo
- Clashes in western Tunisia after self-immolation of journalist
- Sudan police disperse protesters with tear gas on 6th day of unrest
- NOC head and Libyan PM agree new plan to protect fields
- South Africa’s MTN pays $53 mln to settle $8.1 bln Nigeria dispute
- On 6th day of protests, Sudan’s Bashir warns against incitement
- Nigeria’s central bank says agreement with MTN ends legal case, resolves dispute – statement
- Ghana’s first oil exploration licensing round attracts global majors
- Libyan authorities say they recover 34 bodies from IS mass grave
- Kenya lifts abortion ban on global charity Marie Stopes
- South Africa’s rand firms as US political uncertainty weighs on dollar
- Ugandan shilling weakens on uptick in interbank appetite
- Al Shabaab bomber executed in Somalia
- Madagascar’s Rajoelina leads election runoff, Ravalomanana alleges fraud
N.B. Full stories of above headlines are available on Reuters