By Rafiq Raji, PhD
Twitter: @DrRafiqRaji

Global Markets

• Asian shares slide as Trump raises spectre of longer trade war
• Trump flags delaying trade talks until after 2020 election
• Asian stocks follow Wall St lower, safe-havens rise
• ASX, Nikkei fall 1%

Oil Markets

• Oil gains ahead of OPEC+ meeting, boosted by fall in US stockpiles
• Brent up 0.5% at $61.10 a barrel (0151GMT)
• WTI up 0.5% at $56.37

Precious metals

• Gold hovers near 1-mth peak as trade concerns linger
• Spot gold little changed at $1,476.55/oz. (0143GMT)
• US gold futures down 0.1% at $1,483.10/oz.

Grains

• Wheat extends slide, hits 9-day low on ample global supplies
• Wheat futures down 0.3% at $5.23-1/2 a bushel (0135GMT)
• Soybean futures up 0.2% at $8.72-3/4 a bushel
• Corn futures down 0.2% at $3.80-1/2 a bushel

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

• Nigeria 2018/19 general household survey report release
• South Africa’s Ramaphosa on working visit to Guinea (4 Dec), Ghana (5 Dec) & Togo (6 Dec)
• Bank of Namibia interest rate decision [fcst. 6.5%, prev. 6.5%]
• Ghana parliament probes high data cost, telcos summoned
• South Africa Standard Bank PMI Nov-19 [prev. 49.4]
• Nigeria Stanbic IBTC PMI Nov-19 [prev. 56.9]
• Nigeria’s legislature expected to pass 2020 budget
• South Africa state capture inquiry continues
• African Economic Conference by AfDB, ECA & UNDP in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt; 2-4 Dec

Key African events or data releases yesterday & early a.m today
[Posted & commented on some headlines below at my Twitter handle @DrRafiqRaji]

• Kenya forcing importers to use costly new Chinese railway, businessmen say
• Rio Tinto halts operations at South African unit as violence rises
• Africa Oil – Nigerian December crude almost sold out, diffs high
• Egypt’s foreign reserves rise to $45.354 bln in November
• Namibian state fishing firm suspends CEO in corruption scandal
• Tunisia grapples with post-revolution economic slide
• Tunisia PM designate expects govt next week – Reuters interview
• 23 killed in ceramics factory fire in Sudan
• Lawyer says establishing Zimbabwe’s Mugabe assets will take a long time
• South African rand, stocks slide after GDP shrinks
• South Africa’s Taste Holdings loses second CEO this year as focus shifts to luxury
• UN sends troops to halt bout of ethnic violence in South Sudan
• Union calls on South Africa govt to drop inspections on arms exports
• UN to deliver food aid to 4.1 mln in Zimbabwe, fears ‘major crisis’
• South African economy contracts 0.6% in third quarter
• Yield rise in weekly South Africa govt bond auction
• Egypt to issue first corporate sukuk within weeks – official
• South Africa’s Q3 expenditure on GDP down 0.3%
• World Bank says Tanzania’s GDP to grow faster in 2020
• Zimbabwe’s Mugabe left behind $10 mln, some properties – state media
• Kenyan shilling under pressure on elevated demand by importers
• World Bank says Tanzania’s GDP forecast to grow 5.8% in 2020 from 5.6% in 2019
• Australian minnow Far battles Woodside over West African oil spoils
• Egypt’s non-oil private sector shrinks to slowest in over 2 years – PMI

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