By Rafiq Raji, PhD
Twitter: @DrRafiqRaji

Global Markets

• Asian shares slip on mixed US earnings, ECB rate hold
• S&P 500 slips from record high after earnings disappointment
• Alphabet, Intel jump in after-hour trade
• Bond yields off lows after ECB holds off rate cuts
• ECB widely seen easing its policy in Sept

Oil Markets

• Oil drops after poll points to slower global growth
• Brent down 0.4% at $63.15 a barrel (0049GMT)
• WTI down 0.1% at $55.97

Precious metals

• Gold ticks up ahead of US GDP data; set for weekly drop
• Spot gold up 0.2% at $1,417.55 per ounce (0130GMT)
• US gold futures up 0.2% at $1,417.10

Grains

• Soybeans set for weekly drop of 2% as China demand stalls
• Most active CBOT soybean futures down more than 2% so far this week
• Most active corn futures down nearly 2% for the week
• Most active wheat futures slipped nearly 1% on-week
• Most active wheat futures down 0.1% at $4.99 per bushel (0400GMT)
• Most active corn futures down about 0.1% at $4.27-1/4 per bushel
• Most active soy futures up about 0.1% at $9.00-1/4 per bushel
• Most active rice futures down 0.3% at $12.10 per hundredweight

Key African events or data releases today
[Posts & comments at my Twitter handle @DrRafiqRaji]

• Liberia independence day; Nigeria’s Buhari attending celebrations in Monrovia
• South Africa’s EFF 6^th anniversary activities; main event on 27 Jul
• South Africa’s ruling ANC executives to meet
• Zimbabwe’s Mnangagwa in Namibia for state visit; 24-26 Jul
• Screening of Nigeria’s Buhari cabinet nominees continues; day 3
• South Africa central bank annual general meeting
• Tanzania’s Magufuli to kick off $3 bln 2,115MW hydropower project
• 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]

• Tunisia’s Essebsi, leading figure in shift to democracy, dies at 92
• Deployment of second ebola vaccine would not be quick fix, experts warn
• Algeria names panel to oversee dialogue, hold presidential election
• Islamic State says it kidnapped 6 aid workers in northeast Nigeria
• Tunisia presidential election to take place on Sept 15 – Electoral Comm
• Act now to avert disaster in drought-hit East Africa, aid agencies say
• South Africa’s rand hits 2-wk low on Moody’s warning over Eskom
• Africa Oil – Angolan sales up on Asian margins
• Somalia – Mogadishu mayor, once a London councillor, wounded in a blast
• Tunisia parliament speaker sworn in as new president
• IMF says ready to aid Congo in ebola crisis if needed
• South Africa sees new LNG import terminal ready by 2024
• Kenya’s central bank chief plays down impact of Rotich charges
• South Africa’s Momentum Metropolitan to buy Alexander Forbes’ short-term insurance unit
• UNHCR says up to 150 people may have died in shipwreck off Libya
• Africa FX – Kenya currency seen on back foot, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia’s firm; in week ahead
• Zambia finance minister sees 2019 GDP growth at 2.5%
• Deployment of second ebola vaccine would not be quick fix, experts warn
• After a long journey, 16 rare black rhinos make a new home in eSwatini
• Uganda shilling trades unchanged, charity flows offer support
• Zimbabwe tourism minister detained by new anti-corruption agency
• Kenya’s central bank says no target rate for the shilling
• South Africa’s rand wobbled by Moody’s warning over Eskom bailout
• China exports gasoline to Mexico, Nigeria amid overflowing output
• Kenya shilling drops to its lowest level in nearly 2 years
• Kenya central bank governor says growth predicted to hit 6% in 2019
• Moodys’s says new Eskom support credit negative for South Africa
• South Africa committee could get March 2020 deadline for land reform
• South Africa’s Vodacom Q1 revenue rises on international business
• CNOOC halts field work at western Uganda project over ebola fears
• South Africa’s Sasol forecasts higher annual core earnings

N.B. Full stories of above headlines are available on Reuters