By Rafiq Raji, PhD
Twitter: @DrRafiqRaji
Global Markets
- Asian stocks ride Wall St momentum to 8-mth peak, pound slips
- Trade deal sends stocks higher, but details awaited
- Asia ex-Japan index at highest since April
- Nikke hits highest since Oct. 2018
- Pound slips as hard Brexit fears re-emerge
Oil Markets
- Oil hovers near 3-mth high on trade optimism, supply cuts
- JP Morgan & Goldman revise oil price forecasts upwards
- US crude stocks likely dipped last week – Reuters poll
- Brent down 3 cents at $65.31 a barrel (0122GMT)
- WTI down 4 cents to $60.17
Precious metals
- Gold on hold as Sino-US trade uncertainty persists
- Spot gold trading at $1,475.74/oz. (0044GMT)
- US gold futures flat at $1,480.20/oz.
Grains
- Soybeans extend gains, hit over 1-mth high on US-China trade deal
- Soybean futures up 0.3% at $9.24-1/2 a bushel (0156GMT)
- Corn futures unchanged at $3.88 a bushel
- Wheat futures down 0.2% at $5.48-1/2 a bushel
Key African events or data releases today
[Posts & comments at my Twitter handle @DrRafiqRaji]
- Ghana district assembly & unit committee elections
- Nigeria’s Buhari to sign 2020 budget; on his birthday
- Nigeria inflation Nov-19 [fcst. 11.9% yy, prev. 11.6%]
- Kenya’s Kenyatta to launch Naivasha dry port
Key African events or data releases yesterday & early a.m today
- IMF approves $368 mln loan to Congo to meet ‘urgent’ balance of payment needs
- Tesla, Apple among firms accused of aiding child labour in Congo
- Zambia approves cannabis exports to boost economy
- Libya’s Al-Ghani oilfield production capacity will reach 8,000 bpd – NOC
- France, Sahel G5 leaders to meet in Pau on Jan. 13 – Elysee
- US hits South Sudanese officials with sanctions
- Africa Oil – New Angolan loading programme awaited
- France’s Total buys stakes in 2 Angola offshore oil blocks
- Zimbabwe vice president’s wife charged with his attempted murder
- India says 20 crew kidnapped from tanker off West Africa
- South Africa to push UAE on failure to ratify extradition treaty
- Madagascar mining chamber criticises plan to raise minerals taxes
- Kenya Airways names new acting CEO from Jan. 1
- Kenyan shilling firm on diaspora remittances
N.B. Full stories of above headlines are available on Reuters
