By Rafiq Raji, PhD
Twitter: @DrRafiqRaji
Global Markets
- Asia shares rally to 4-1/2-mth peak on hopes of US-China trade deal
- Ex-Japan Asia MSCI up 1 pct to highest since early Oct
- Investors expect US, China to reach trade deal next month
- Minutes of Fed’s Jan 29-30 policy meeting in focus
Oil Markets
- Oil near 2019 highs amid OPEC cuts, US sanctions
- US sanctions on Iran, Venezuela tighten markets
- But soaring US shale output offsets some of the disruption
- Economic slowdown to weigh on oil prices by Q4 – BNP Paribas
- Brent up 0.2 pct at $66.58 per barrel (0300GMT)
- WTI up 0.5 pct at $56.39 per barrel
Precious metals
- Gold prices hold at 10-mth highs; markets await Fed minutes
- Spot gold marginally lower at $1,339.61 per ounce (0021GMT)
- US gold futures down 0.2 pct at $1,342.6 an ounce
Grains
- Wheat rises after dropping to 4-mth low, soybean prices firm
- Most active CBOT wheat futures up 0.3 pct at $4.91-1/4 per bushel (0134GMT)
- Most active corn futures up 0.5 pct at $3.71-3/4 per bushel
- Most active soy futures up 0.1 pct at $9.01-3/4 per bushel
- Most active rice futures up 0.2 pct at $10.01 per hundredweight
Key African events or data releases today
[Posts & comments at my Twitter handle @DrRafiqRaji]
- South Africa 2019 budget to be presented by finmin Mboweni today
- South Africa inflation data for Jan-19 expected [fcst. 4.5% yy, prev. 4.5%]
- Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe to announce MPC decision(s) today
- South Africa state capture inquiry continues
Key African events or data releases yesterday & early a.m today
[Posted & commented on some headlines below at my Twitter handle @DrRafiqRaji]
- Libya’s NOC to assess security at El Sharara before resuming production
- Death toll from northwest Nigeria attack doubles to 130
- Eastern Libya forces hand El Sharara oilfield to oil guards
- Tunisia central bank raises key rate to 7.75 pct from 6.75 pct to curb inflation
- Zimbabwe to run out of bread in 1 week as flour stocks dwindle – millers
- Chinese “Ivory Queen” smuggler sentenced to 15 years jail in Tanzania
- Africa Crude – Nigeria March overhang persists as April programmes awaited
- South Africa’s rand tepid ahead of annual budget speech
- MTN faces more problems in Uganda as authorities query its sales figures
- Delta Sugar looks to raise output as Egypt pushes sugar beet
- South Africa parliament approves long-delayed carbon tax bill
- Glencore to cut output, jobs at copper, cobalt mine in Congo – WSJ
- UN says fighting, instability have displaced 100,000 in Burkina Faso
- South Africa need to invest to rebuild confidence in power sector – minister
- South Africa’s AngloGold looks to streamline assets, Argentine mine up for sale
- South Africa updated long-term energy plan to be ready in March – minister
- ‘Basic needs before infrastructure’: fashioning a fairer Senegal
- Egypt security forces kill 16 suspected militants – state media
- South Africa govt meeting fails to break Eskom split impasse – COSATU
- Union Fenosa says guarantees not sufficient to restart Egypt LNG plant
- South Africa defence group Denel to seek investment partners: CEO
- Egypt begins receiving offers for dollar bond sale – finmin
- South Africa’s AMCU calls on Sibanye platinum workers to join strike
- Kenya says crude oil capacity insufficient for refinery
- South Africa needs to invest, build confidence in power generation – Radebe
- South Africa’s Kumba Iron Ore 2018 headline earnings edge lower
- South Africa AngloGold Ashanti posts highe full-year earnings
N.B. Full stories of above headlines are available on Reuters
