By Rafiq Raji, PhD
Twitter: @DrRafiqRaji
Global Markets
- Asian shares slugged, bonds bought amid trade gloom
- Nikkei fall 2.3%, Asia shares ex-Japan -2%
- Yields, emerging currencies dive amid safe-haven rush
- Yuan under pressure as trade war escalates
- Gold jumps to highest since Apr 2013, oil skids
Oil Markets
- Oil down nearly 2% as trade war shakes confidence
- Brent down 1.5% at $58.45 a barrel (0044GMT)
- WTI down 1.8% at $53.17
Precious metals
- Gold touches over 6-yr peak as risk-off appetite stoked
- Spot gold up 1.2% at $1,544/oz. (0141GMT)
- US gold futures up 1.1% at $1,554.90
Grains
- Soybeans rebound from 3-wk low, fresh round of China tariffs cap gains
- Most active CBOT soybean futures up 0.6% at $8.61-1/2 per bushel (0225GMT)
- Most active corn futures up 0.3% at $3.69 a bushel
- Most active wheat futures down 0.2% at $4.77 a bushel
Key African events or data releases today
[Posts & comments at my Twitter handle @DrRafiqRaji]
- G7 summit rounds up in France; South Africa’s Ramaphosa, Rwanda’s Kagame, & Senegal’s Sall attending
- 7th Tokyo International Conference for African Development (#TICAD7); 28-30 Aug [Leaders of Nigeria, South Africa, Mali, Zambia & Senegal to attend]
- South Africa state capture inquiry resumes
Key African events or data releases over the weekend & early a.m today
[Posted & commented on some headlines below at my Twitter handle @DrRafiqRaji]
- Sudan’s sovereign council declares state of emergency in Port Sudan
- African Finance Corporation approves $230 mln loan for Nigeria’s 9mobile
- Algeria’s annual inflation falls to 2.7% in July
- Congo has given over 200,000 people Merck ebola vaccine – govt
- Zambia introduces maize price cap to keep it affordable
- Rate cut to save Telecom Egypt 20% on financing costs – official
- Tanzania central bank threatens hefty fines for lenders over data compliance
- South Africa court impounds Tanzania plane in compensation case – lawyer
- Ethiopia’s opposition parties criticise election law changes
- Tunisia’s Karoui still presidential candidate despite arrest – electoral commission
- Sudan’s ex-president Bashir’s corruption trial to seek bail
- South Africa sets up task team to prevent spread of African swine fever
- Libya – Missile hits Tripoli airport car park, grounding flights for 3 hours
- South Africa to publish Eskom plans in next few weeks
- Ethiopia’s parliament approves electoral, political parties draft bill – Fana
- Tanzania say South Africa impounds Airbus plane
- Zimbabwe police arrest 10 union officials as clampdown deepens
- Zimbabwe offers bigger wage hike for civil servants – unions group
- Splitting South African power firm could take 4 years
- Ebola appears contained in Goma, but flares in other parts of Congo – WHO
- South Africa’s rand firms on weaker dollar after Fed chair speech
- South Africa’s Naspers gets shareholder approval to list unit
- South Africa to roll out out sweeping health reform in stages
- Mali’s new mining code shortens stability period to 10 years – ministry
- Africa Oil – Nigerian October programmes show roughly steady exports
- Zambia will avoid debt default and new loans – finmin
- Tunisia’s Nawara gas field starts, ups national output by 50%
- China Molybdenum’s Congo mine blames mining tax, low metal prices for loss
- South African court denies Zambia leave to appeal in Vedanta case
- Nigeria stocks rally to 3-wk high as investors eye reforms
- Libya’s state oil firm demands pay rise for workers
- Zimbabwe police arrest 10 union officials as clampdown deepens
- Uganda blocks online access to Rwanda newspaper, casting shadow over pact to end tensions
- Uganda shilling trades little-changed amid thin volumes
- Mauritius ends fuel purchase deal with India’s MRPL – sources
- South Africa’s 3-mth t-bill average yield falls to 7.09%
- WHO says eradicating malaria “can be done”, but first aim is to control it
- South Africa to take responsible approach to health reform – presidential aide
- South Africa’s rand firms as deficit fears ease
- South Africa’s Northam Platinum FY profit soars on higher metal prices, solid performance
N.B. Full stories of above headlines are available on Reuters
