By Rafiq Raji, PhD
Twitter: @DrRafiqRaji
Global Markets
- Economy hopes support shares, oil edges up on Mideast tensions
- Share prices near this year’s peak in many markets
- Sterling rises after Juncker’s comments on Brexit
- China cuts new 1-yr lending benchmark rate by 5 bps
Oil Markets
- Oil prices march to biggest weekly gain in months as MidEast tensions dominate
- Brent, WTI on track for more than 7% gain this week
- Biggest rise for Brent since Jan, strongest since June for WTI
- MidEast tensions price boost as Saudi coalition attacks Yemen
- Tropical Storm Imelda hits US energy infrastructure
- Brent up 56 cents at $64.96 a barrel (0212GMT)
- WTI up 66 cents at $58.79
Precious metals
- Gold edges higher on soft dollar, heads for first weekly gain in four
- Spot gold up 0.2% at $1,501.35/oz. (0142GMT)
- US gold futures up 0.2% at $1,509.2/oz.
Grains
- Corn futures set for second weekly gain on strong US exports
- Wheat futures down 0.5% at $4.85-3/4 per bushel (0109GMT)
- Corn futures down 0.3% at $3.71-3/4 per bushel
- Soy futures down 0.2% at $8.91-1/4 per bushel
- Rice futures down 0.2% at $12.34 per hundredweight
Key African events or data releases today
[Posts & comments at my Twitter handle @DrRafiqRaji]
- Bank of Ghana MPC decision [fcst. 15.0%, prev. 16.0%]
- Central Bank of Nigeria MPC decision [fcst. 13.0%, prev. 13.5%]
- 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 Coast Guard picks up nearly 500 migrants in region surrounding Tripoli
- Nigeria court orders firm that won $9 bln case against govt to forfeit assets
- Nigerian army says NGO aided terrorists, forces it to close office
- Moderate Islamist Ennahda backs Saied in Tunisia’s presidential run-off
- Sierra Leone toughens penalties for sexual violence
- At least 28 displaced people killed in northern Congo
- Morocco’s Attijariwafa Bank reports first-half profit up 4.9%
- EU wheat at 1-mth high as Morocco boosts French export outlook
- South Africa’s debt-ridden Cell C worthless, biggest shareholders say
- Egypt’s SODIC interested in Heliopolis Housing estate – CEO
- Algeria detains chief of former ruling party and opposition activist
- South African rand slips back as central bank holds key rate, stocks down
- Libya state oil firm rejects eastern parallel board for oil firm
- Tunisia’s ousted president Ben Ali dies in Saudi exile
- Africa Oil – Nigerian programmes start to appear
- Nigeria court orders firm that won $9 bln case against govt to forfeit assets
- South Africa hold key rate in unanimous decision
- Zimbabwe doctors march to parliament after court intervention
- Libya’s National Oil condemns attempt to divide its Brega unit
- Egypt tuk-tuk startup Halan to expand to Ethiopia
- Central African militia suspects, one a soccer boss, hear war crimes charges
- Deutsche Post’s DHL preparing sale of supply chain operations in Africa
- Zimbabwe court tells police to allow doctors’ march
- Uganda shilling holds steady due to even dollar demand
- South African retailer Mr Price warns of possible loss
- Kenya starts tightening its belt after debt binge criticism
- Algeria detains opposition activist in new sign of clampdown
- Kenya shilling holds firm as offshore flows soak up pressure
- Somalia GDP to grow 2.9% in 2019 vs 2.8% last year – IMF
- Nigeria becomes Africa’s staging ground for the illegal pangolin trade with Asia
- Kenya cuts 2019/20 financial year spending plans by 2.1%
N.B. Full stories of above headlines are available on Reuters
