By Rafiq Raji, PhD
Twitter: @DrRafiqRaji
Global Markets
- Asian stocks pause amid worries over growth and trade
- FT report on US-China talks rekindle trade worries
- Data from US, Japan and Canada miss forecasts
- BOJ keeps ultra loose monetary policy, cuts inflation forecast
Oil Markets
- Oil steady on hopes Chinese fiscal stimulus will stem economic slowdown
- Brent crude futures virtually unchanged at $61.49 per barrel (0314GMT)
- US WTI crude futures down 3 cents at $52.98 per barrel
Precious metals
- Gold steady on global growth, Sino-US trade worries
- Spot gold little changed at $1,284.19 per ounce (0112GMT)
- US gold futures steady at $1,283.40 per ounce
Grains
- Soybean prices rise on US-China trade hopes
- Most active CBOT wheat futures up 0.3 pct at $5.23 per bushel (0209GMT)
- Most active corn futures up 0.4 pct at $3.80-1/2 per bushel
- Most active soy futures up 0.5 pct at $9.14 per bushel
- Most active rice futures up 0.2 pct at $10.68 per hundredweight
Key African events or data releases today
[Posts & comments at my Twitter handle @DrRafiqRaji]
- Ghana central bank 3-day MPC meeting starts; decision announced on 28 Jan
- South Africa state capture, PIC & NPA inquiries continue
- South Africa inflation data for December due [fcst. 5.1% yy , prev. 5.2%]
Key African events or data releases yesterday & early a.m today
[Posted & commented on some headlines below at my Twitter handle @DrRafiqRaji]
- Egypt’s MNHD calls off planned merger with SODIC – document
- Sudan protesters clash with police in ongoing unrest
- Sex traffickers hold 20,000 Nigerian women and girls in Mali, agency says
- Abiy’s Ethiopia pardons 13,000 accused of treason or terrorism
- Kenyan police on trial over killing of UK aristocrat’s son
- As election nears, Nigeria recommends 50 pct minimum wage rise
- Africa Crude – Spot trade muted amid tenders, lack of allocations
- Nigeria trade union rejects minimum wage recommendation – spokesman
- Uganda deports MTN execs, cites national security – police
- Italy’s Salvini bashes France over Libya role in new diplomatic spat
- South Africa state pension fund suspends officials over technology deal
- Floating Nigerian currency would cause crisis, central bank head says
- Zimbabwe president condemns crackdown, backers raise impeachment fears
- EU, AU signal support, but no acclaim, for Congo president-elect
- Morocco’s trade deficit rises 8 pct in 2018
- South Africa’s Gold Fields denies rumours of merger with AngloGold
- Somalis turn a profit by transforming their scrap plastic
- Almost 500 migrants brought back to Libya after foiled attempts to reach Italy
- South Africa rand slips on global growth fears
- South Africa’s AMCU issues further strike threat to Sibanye
- Kenya and Ghana sound out banks for international bond offerings
- Nigeria’s central bank providing 75 bln naira financing to Dangote’s oil refinery
- MTN has paid $53 mln to settle Nigeria dispute – central bank
- Algeria’s annual inflation slightly down to 4.3 pct in December
- Nigeria’s ‘bad bank’ seeks investors for state-backed lender Polaris
- Morocco inflation rises to 1.9 pct y/y, planning agency says
- Egypt says dozens of militants killed in Sinai peninsula
- South Africa’s economy to grow to 1.3 pct in 2019 – World Bank
- 144 rescued migrants taken to Libya despite dangers – UN
- Uganda shilling unchanged amid flat importer and bank demand
- South Africa says there is no Saudi proposal on Denel under consideration
- South Africa’s Multichoice sweetens Naspers split with dividend plan
- South Africa’s Ramaphosa calls for lifting of sanctions on Zimbabwe
- Zimbabwe rights commission: security forces instigated systematic torture after protests
- Steinhoff says firm linked to former partner claims it is owed $330 mln
- Kenya shilling firms against dollar on tightening liquidity, remittances
- Zimbabwe will investigate misconduct by security forces over protests – Mnangagwa
N.B. Full stories of above headlines are available on Reuters
