By Rafiq Raji, PhD
Twitter: @DrRafiqRaji, @macroafrica

Global Markets

• Asian shares mostly flat, Japan hurt by Sino-US tensions
• Asia shares flat, Nikkei loses 0.5%
• China markets open only on Monday this week

Oil Markets

• Oil prices climb as positive China factory data eases demand concerns
• Brent up 9 cents at $62 a barrel (0300GMT)
• WTI up 13 cents at $56.04 a barrel

Precious metals

• Gold prices dip as fears of widening trade war ease
• Spot gold down 0.2% at $1,494.30/oz. (0104GMT)
• US gold futures down 0.2% at $1,503.3/oz.

Grains

• Soybeans rebound from 1-wk low, USDA stocks report eyed
• Wheat futures up 0.3% at $4.88-3/4 per bushel (0133GMT)
• Corn futures up 0.3% at $3.72-1/2 per bushel
• Soy futures up 0.3% at $8.85-1/4 per bushel
• Rice futures down 0.9% at $12.05 per hundredweight

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

• South Africa PSCE Aug-19 [fcst. 5.8% yy, prev. 7.2%]
• South Africa M3 Aug-19 [fcst. 8.4% yy, prev. 8.3%]
• Kenya GDP Q2-19 [fcst. 6.1% yy, prev. 5.6%]
• Kenya CPI Sep-19 [fcst. 4.0% yy, prev. 5.0%]
• Uganda CPI Sep-19 [fcst. 1.6% yy, prev. 2.1%]
• 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]

• Senegal president pardons political rival Khalifa Sall
• Morocco king ill, forced to miss Chirac funeral service
• Algeria army will not back any candidate in presidential election
• Supercars seized from Equatorial Guinea vice president net $27 mln at auction
• UK’s Prince Harry visits Malawi college
• Prominent Egyptian activist arrested as crackdown continues
• Congo GDP growth to slow slightly to 5.4% in 2020 – govt statement
• Egypt’s currency strengthens after c.bank interest rate cut
• Egypt posts third winning session while other markets mixed
• Victims of north Nigerian institution share stories of terror
• Canadian tourist dies in paragliding accident in Tanzania’s Mount Kilimanjaro
• Italy investigates wife of Eni’s CEO in Congo graft probe – document
• Boat with over 50 passengers capsizes off Libyan coast – UN
• Nigerian authorities seek families of inmates from purported school after raid
• Zimbabwe’s Mugabe buried in home village, ending an era
• Prince Harry’s wife Meghan honours murdered South African student
• 7 drown after boat capsizes off Morocco’s Atlantic coast
• Kenya betting firm SportPesa halts operations due to tax hike
• Supercars of Obiang son on the block at Swiss auction
• US travel warning adds to pressure on Tanzania over suspected ebola cases
• UK’s Prince Harry to meet Angolan president
• After US talks, Sudan sees path to lifting sanctions soon
• Egypt’s security forces move to block anti-Sisi protests
• Militants kill 8 in deadly ambush in Egypt’s Sinai – sources
• Mozambique targets $880 mln in tax from Anadarko takeover – report
• US air strike kills 17 in southern Libya
• Zambia scraps sales tax plan in concession to miners
• Algerians tired of ruling cadre march as ex-premiers bid for presidency
• Africa Oil – Cosco sanctions stoke market uncertainty
• 3 killed in UN helicopter crash in CAR
• Tunisia Islamists pivot from consensus politics as election looms
• Zambia cancels licence of Vodafone franchise holder over poor capacity
• UN rights envoy says Zimbabwe political, economic situation deteriorating
• Lawlessness double displaced from NW Nigeria to 40,000 – UNHCR
• Overrun by militia, Canadian miner Banro suspends Congo gold operations
• Prince Harry follws in mother Diana’s footsteps on visit to Angola
• Nigeria fights back, but threat of $9 bln penalty looms
• Zambia scraps plan to replace VAT sales tax
• Rwanda receives first group of refugees from Libya, including baby born in detention
• Kenya central allows merger of lenders NIC and CBA Group
• Hundreds of captives, many boys in chains, freed in Nigeria
• Kenya shilling steady, importer demand slows
• Handbag designer Marks appointed US ambassador to South Africa
• Uganda shilling flat as thin volumes, liquidity mop-up offer support
• Egypt tightens security after call for repeat protests

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