By Rafiq Raji, PhD
Twitter: @DrRafiqRaji
Global Markets
- Asian stocks gain as Trump says China trade deal could be ‘soon’
- Stocks grind higher on hopes for end to trade friction
- Oil futures bounce back from overnight decline
- Investors warn there are still risks to outlook
Oil Markets
- Oil prices hold steady as Trump touts sooner-than-expected trade deal
- Brent down 0.1% at $62.34 a barrel (0158GMT)
- WTI up 0.1% at $56.55 a barrel
Precious metals
- Gold gains ground on bargain hunting, strong dollar caps gains
- Spot gold up 0.3% at $1,508.61/oz. (0126GMT)
- US gold futures up 0.2% at $1,515.9/oz.
Grains
- US soybeans hold steady on renewed trade optimism
- Wheat futures up 0.3% at $4.78-1/2 per bushel (0016GMT)
- Corn futures down 0.1% at $3.74 per bushel
- Soy futures unchanged at $8.89-1/4 per bushel
- Rice futures up 0.1% at $11.91 per hundredweight
Key African events or data releases today
[Posts & comments at my Twitter handle @DrRafiqRaji]
- South Africa producer inflation Aug-19 [fcst. 4.7% yy, prev. 4.9%]
- 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]
- World losing ground against violence in Sahel, UN says
- Algeria sees 1.8% GDP growth in 2020 vs 2.6% forecast this year
- Algeria jails top figures of Bouteflika era
- Kenya parliament rejects request to remove interest rate caps
- Thomas Cook collapse to cost Morocco hotels $20 mln – tourism body
- EU wheat steady as euro, Egypt tender raise export hopes
- South African rand weaker on US inquiry into Trump impeachment, stocks fall
- Africa Oil – Majors see Saudi outages boosting light crude
- Kenya parliament rejects finance ministry request to scrap commercial lending rate caps
- ArcelorMittal South Africa may close some sites as it battles weak economy
- Kenya budget carrier Jambojet to double passengers in 3 years
- South Africa – Sibanye plans to cut over 5,000 jobs in Marikana restructuring
- Egypt recovers some losses, Saudi loses momentum
- More than 1,100 detained in Egypt after protests – rights monitors
- Liberia hospital patients turned away as medical strike bites
- South Africa tribunal clears Milco’s buyout of dairy firm Clover
- Aid agency says hostage executed by group holding employee others in Nigeria
- US launches strike in southern Libya as UN warns of escalation
- Mercy Corps suspends northeast Nigeria work after army shuts offices
- Algeria’s Sonatrach says it is talking to Chevron
- Egypt stocks rise nearly 2.5% after 8 days of falls
- Kenya shilling steady, remittances help meet end-mth demand
- Uganda shilling flat as charity flows match importer demand
- Tanzania’s mobile phone subscriptions rise to nearly 44 mln
- South Africa records FDI inflows of 26.3 bln rand in Q2
- Egypt to sell stakes in 5 or 6 companies by end-June 2020 – PM
- Algeria jails 2 ex-intelligence chiefs for 15 years – media
N.B. Full stories of above headlines are available on Reuters
