By Rafiq Raji, PhD
Twitter: @DrRafiqRaji
Global Markets
- Asia stocks advance on US-China trade relief
- MSCI Asia-Pacific index up 0.7 pct, Nikkei hits 1-mth high
- Hopes for thaw in US-China trade row lift equities
- Dollar supported, US yields higher amid better risk appetite
- Palladium hovers near record high
Oil Markets
- Oil up on OPEC output cuts, hopes of easing US-China trade tensions
- OPEC says its Dec output fell by 751k bpd to 31.58 mln bpd
- Washington considers rolling back China import tariffs – WSJ
- But record US production of 11.9 mln bpd undermines OPEC efforts
- Brent up 0.9 pct at $61.72 per barrel (0339GMT)
- US WTI up 1.1 pct at $52.62 per barrel
Precious metals
- Palladium holds near record levels on supply woes; gold steady
- Spot palladium up 0.3 pct at $1,400.50 per ounce (0116GMT)
- Spot gold steady at $1,291.43 per ounce
- US gold futures down 0.1 pct at $1,291.10 per ounce
Grains
- Soybeans edge higher on US-China trade optimism
- Most active CBOT wheat futures down 0.3 pct at $5.16 per bushel (0115GMT)
- Most active corn futures down 0.4 pct at $3.78-1/2 per bushel
- Most active soy futures down 0.2 pct at $9.06-1/4 per bushel
- Most active rice futures unchanged at $10.50 per hundredweight
Key African events or data releases today
[Posts & comments at my Twitter handle @DrRafiqRaji]
- Nigeria’s Buhari campaigns in Kaduna today; all eyes on him in regard of whether he will show up for debate tomorrow
- Nigeria’s Abubakar in US for events & meetings
- Nigeria’s Abubakar campaign organisation to be inaugurated today
Key African events or data releases yesterday & early a.m today
[Posted & commented on some headlines below at my Twitter handle @DrRafiqRaji]
- Sudan protesters, police clash as anti-Bashir unrest spreads
- Sudan inflation quickens to 72.9 pct in Dec – state news agency
- AU cites ‘serious doubts’, urges delay to final Congo election result
- Death toll in militia clashes in Libya’s capital rises to 10
- Morocco foils 89,000 illegal migration attempts in 2018 – interior ministry
- Ethiopia allows almost 1 million refugees to leave camps and work
- Mum on trial for FGM ‘used witchcraft’ to silence UK police
- Trump cancels Pelosi trip to Belgium, Afghanistan and Egypt
- Canadian found dead in Burkina Faso after kidnapping
- Zimbabwe charges activist pastor with subversion and incitement
- African growth too slow for expanding workforce – AfDB
- Britain “deeply concerned” at Zimbabwe unrest; summons ambassador
- Gunmen kill Ghanaian journalist who helped expose soccer graft
- Boko Haram claims attack on northeast Nigerian town of Rann – video
- Africa Crude – Nigerian Bonny and Qua Iboe offered at 10-mth highs
- More women catch ebola in Congo in ‘unexpected’ twist of gender roles
- South African rand falls after rate decision; stocks down
- Nigeria’s Forte Oil seeks to sell power unit to top investor
- South Africa’s central bank defends mandate, holds rate
- Gabon president back in Morocco after short stay in Libreville
- African bloc walks back calls for Congo election recount
- Investec, UK Climate Investments commit 1 bln rand to Africa renewables
- Big strike paralyses Tunisia, thousands protest over pay row
- South Africa’s central bank leaves repo rate at 6.75 pct
- Egypt renews detention of woman in BBC report over ‘false news’
- Egypt reopens five ports after weather improves
- Kenya’s Safaricom overdraft service exceeds expectations – CEO
- Kenyan shilling firms against the dollar
- Egypt resumes air freight service to US after 2015 halt
- Zimbabwe’s inflation soars to 42 pct y/y in Dec
- Ugandan shilling slightly weaker on pick-up in interbank demand
- Zimbabwe doctors treat 68 for gunshot wounds, police arrests hundreds
- South Africa’s Mr Price posts slow Q3 sales growth on lower clothes, Black Friday sales
- South Africa’s Woolworths posted tepid 26-wk sales
N.B. Full stories of above headlines are available on Reuters