By Rafiq Raji, PhD
Twitter: @DrRafiqRaji
Global Markets
- Asian shares flat as Fed looms, May’s Brexit deal in chaos
- Wall St advance, dollar flat as traders brace for a dovish Fed
- Pound drifts as UK parliament bans vote on same Brexit deal
Oil Markets
- Oil nears 2019 highs on OPEC supply cuts, US sanctions
- OPEC cancels April meeting, extends output cuts until June
- Rising US production, economic slowdown cap prices
- Shanghai crude jumps above Brent
- Brent up 10 cents at $67.64 per barrel (0314GMT)
- WTI largely unchanged at $59.10
Precious metals
- Palladium strikes record high on supply squeeze; gold gains
- Palladium hits a record high of $1,591/oz
- Gold edges up for a 3rd consecutive session
- SPDR gold holdings post biggest daily gain since Jan 2018
- Spot gold up 0.3 pct at $1,306.76 per ounce (0339GMT)
- US gold futures up 0.4 pct at $1,306.80
Grains
- Wheat trades firm near 12-day high
- Most active CBOT wheat futures up 0.7 pct at $4.59-3/4 per bushel (0152GMT)
- Most active corn futures up 0.2 pct at $3.72-1/4 per bushel
- Most active soy futures up about 0.1 pct at $9.06-1/4 per bushel
- Most active rice futures up about 0.2 pct at $10.74 per hundredweight
Key African events or data releases today
[Posts & comments at my Twitter handle @DrRafiqRaji]
- Malawi presidential campaigns start
- South Africa state capture inquiry continues
- South Africa PIC inquiry continues
- South Africa’s Gordhan & Eskom executives’ briefing on loadshedding
Key African events or data releases (15-18 Mar) & early a.m today
[Posted & commented on some headlines below at my Twitter handle @DrRafiqRaji]
- Ethiopia and Indonesia crash parallels heap pressure on Boeing
- Hundreds protest in Sudan, keep up pressure on Bashir
- Firestone Liberia to lay off 800 staff on low rubber prices
- Nigeria’s defeated main opposition candidate challenges election result
- Algeria suspends all Boeing 737 MAX 8 and 9 flights – Ennahar TV
- Mali weekend attack killed 23 soldiers in total – army
- South Sudan ‘superhero’ wins award for work with children born of hope
- Death toll in Mozambique cyclone, floods could surpass 1,000 – president
- UN hosting Western Sahara talks in Switzerland this week
- Libya agrees $34 bln budget for 2019 after months of disputes
- Algeria’s Bouteflika defies pressure to step down immediately
- Africa Crude – Angola to boost crude exports in May; Senegal seeks Nigerian
- South Africa’s rand weakens on power cuts, stocks rise
- Congo suspends seating of new senators following disputed election
- Algeria’s Bouteflika says national conference to take place shortly – TV
- Botswana’s Debswana to extend life of Jwaneng diamond mine to 2035
- Tanzania sets up mineral trading centres to curb illegal gold exports
- Algeria army should be responsible for finding solution to crisis – chief of staff
- Former Steinhoff chairman Wiese open to talks over $4 bln claim
- In Kenya push, France seals business deals worth over 2 bln euros
- Russia diamond miner Alrosa wants controlling stake to mine in Zimbabwe
- Kenya dollar bonds reach 10-mth high as rally resumes
- South Africa power cuts to continue as Eskom battles shortages
- Swiss Re says helped insure Boeing, Ethiopian Airlines
- 3 Egypt companies aiming for IPO in 2019 – bourse head
- Egypt signs $2 bln deal to buy Russia fighter jets – Kommersant
- Uganda shilling unchanged amid flat appetite for dollars
- Uganda ruling party MPs back country’s aging leader for another term
- Algeria deputy PM to make foreign tour to discuss events at home
- Kenya shilling under pressure from importer demand
- At least 89 dead in Zimbabwe as Cyclone Idai leaves trail of destruction
- Algeria unions refuse to support PM’s efforts to form govt
- South Africa’s Eskom to continue rolling blackouts this week
- Gunmen attack Mali army base, kill at least 16 soldiers
- US agencies have not validated Ethiopia Airlines black box data – US officials
- Algeria PM starts talks on new cabinet as gas field workers protest
- France’s BEA says Ethiopian jet’s flight data successfully recovered
- Workers in Algeria’s Hassi Rmel gas field protest, output unaffected – Sonatrach official
- Egypt pound appreciates to highest in over 2 years
- After weeks of protest, Algeria PM starts talks on new govt
- Algeria PM has started talks to form new govt – state news agency
- Algeria c.bank raises reserves requirements for banks to 12 pct – APS agency
- OPEC’s Barkindo says compliance with supply cut deal improving
- OPEC’s Barkindo says rebound in oil investments “very minimal”
- Ethiopia crash probe advances with voice download, fresh details
- Ethiopia jet asked permission to climb then vanished – source
- South Africa’s Eskom ups power cuts as storm hits Mozambique imports
- Ethiopia Airlines says crash victim DNA tests will take up to 6 months
- 10 Airlines fear long grounding of Boeing 737 MAX jets after Ethiopian crash
- Algerians demand Bouteflika quits in biggest protest yet
- Nigeria school building collapse killed 20 – Lagos health official
- Excavators may be damaging Ethiopia crash site – diplomats
- 75 protesters arrested, 11 policemen injured in Algiers – police
- Congo ex-leader Kabila’s coalition wins decisive senate majority
- Zuma-era officials feature on South Africa’s ANC election list
- PwC investigation finds $7.4 bln accounting fraud at Steinhoff, company says
- US diplomat urges transparent land reform in South Africa
- Africa Crude – IOC issues new tender, Angola programme awaited
- US “very enthusiastic” about Zimbabwe’s new govt – deputy secretary of state
- South Africa’s rail service places four executives on paid leave amid graft allegations
- Athletics – Kenya, Ethiopia urge IAAF not to cut Diamond League races
- South Africa’s Competition Tribunal approves Glencore’s bid for Chevron subsidiary
- South Africa court blocks mine union’s plan for industry-wide strike
- South Africa’s Tsogo Sun CEO to retire, hotel business spin-off to go ahead
- Botswana’s Debswana targets diamond output of 24 mln carats in 2019
- Zimbabwe inflation quickens to 59.39 pct y/y in February
- Nigeria consumer inflation falls slightly to 11.31 pct in Feb – stats office
- A leader of Algeria’s ruling FLN party says Bouteflika is “history now”
- Kenya’s Commercial Bank of Africa says shareholders accept NIC Group
N.B. Full stories of above headlines are available on Reuters