By Rafiq Raji, PhD
Twitter: @DrRafiqRaji
Global Markets
- Asian shares slip from 6-mth high ahead of Fed policy decision
- Ex-Japan Asia down 0.4 pct; Japan flat, China up
- Fed seen cutting rate projections, unveiling end of QT
Oil Markets
- Oil prices pressured by economic slowdown, but OPEC cuts support
- Brent down 0.1 pct at $67.55 a barrel (0432GMT)
- WTI down 0.2 pct at $58.92 a barrel
Precious metals
- Gold eases on firm dollar; markets await Fed guidance
- Spot gold down 0.1 pct at $1,304.85 per ounce (0428GMT)
- US gold futures down 0.2 pct at $1,304.60 an ounce
Grains
- Soybeans fall on concerns over slow pace of trade talks
- Most active CBOT wheat futures down 0.1 pct at $4.56 per bushel (0132GMT)
- Most active corn futures up about 0.1 pct at $3.71-1/2 per bushel
- Most active soy futures down 0.3 pct at $9.01-1/4 per bushel
- Most active rice futures up 0.4 pct at $10.82 per hundredweight
Key African events or data releases today
[Posts & comments at my Twitter handle @DrRafiqRaji]
- Ethiopia’s Abiy Ahmed in Qatar
- Bank of Ghana MPC meeting starts
- South Africa inflation for Feb-19 expected [fcst. 3.3% yy, prev. 4.0%]
- South Africa retail sales for Jan-19 expected [fcst. 2.8% yy, prev. -1.4%]
- South Africa state capture inquiry continues
- South Africa PIC inquiry continues
Key African events or data releases yesterday & early a.m today
[Posted & commented on some headlines below at my Twitter handle @DrRafiqRaji]
- Growing pains in Ethiopia: film spotlights hidden cost of urban growth
- Over 200 dead in Mozambique after Cyclone Idai, millions hit
- Tunisia forces kill 3 Islamic State militants near Algeria border
- Burkina Faso’s Onatel 2018 net profits rise 12.5 pct
- Angola’s Isabel dos Santos reappointed to Unitel board
- With photos, Kenyans say #WeCannotIgnore mln hungry people
- African Crude – Asian demand seen slowing, Nigerian programmes awaited
- Morocco keeps benchmark interest rate unchanged at 2.25 pct
- South Africa’s rand steadies, investors eye Fed meeting
- Thousands demonstrate in Algiers as protest leaders tell army to stay away
- Egypt, Nissan agree to produce 100,000 cars a year – minister
- Zimbabwe seeks to raise $350 mln selling shares in state firms
- Morocco to issue two international bonds in 2019 and 2020 – cenbank
- Air strike kills four people in Somalia – relatives
- 2 killed in accident at Glencore’s Zambia mine
- Ex-CEO, 7 others responsible for Steinhoff fraud, new CEO tells lawmakers
- Robots compete with child jockeys in Egypt camel races
- Lenders and travellers stick with Ethiopian Airlines, for now
- No end in sight for South Africa power cuts
- Morocco’s BCP 2018 net profit up 3.5 pct
- South African watchdog demands Steinhoff produce report about fraud – CEO
- Gunmen kill 5 miners in Ethiopia, TV says foreigners among dead
- IMF urges South Sudan to stop taking oil-backed loans
- UN says 1.7 mln in path of cyclone in Mozambique
- Algeria’s Bouteflika will hand over power to elected president – Lamamra
- Morocco’s Attijariwafa Bank reports 3.4 pct rise in 2018 net profit
- At least 10 migrants died when their boat sank off Libya coast – official
- Uganda shilling steady, expected to firm due to inflows from charities
- Uganda investigates UN food aid after 3 die, police say
- Egypt targets budget deficit of 7.2 pct, GDP growth of 6.1 pct in FY 19/20 – minister
- Algeria protest leaders tell army to stay out of politics
- IMF mission to visit Tunisia next week to discuss fifth review of loan
- Ethiopia crash investigators return home after reviewing black box data – sources
- Zimbabwe finim sees inflation below 10 pct by year-end
- Kenya shilling weakens against dollar amid increased demand from importers
- Kenya Re sees 25 pct dive in full-year net earnings
N.B. Full stories of above headlines are available on Reuters
