By Rafiq Raji, PhD
Twitter: @DrRafiqRaji

Global Markets

• Asia stocks drift lower as holiday lull counters trade cheer
• Volumes in Asia expected to be low before holidays
• Trade deal lifted Wall Street to record closing high
• Hope for monetary easing lifts China shares

Oil Markets

• Oil prices inch higher amid support for supply cuts, lower inventory forecast
• Brent up 7 cents at $66.46 a barrel (0105GMT)
• WTI up 4 cents at $60.56

Precious metals

• Gold holds ground on weak US data, trade deal concerns
• Spot gold unchanged at $1,485.20/oz. (0047GMT)
• US gold futures flat at $1,489.20/oz.

Grains

• US grains rangebound ahead of holiday, trade deal hopes
• Wheat futures up 0.2% at $5.40-1/2 a bushel (0150GMT)
• Soybeans futures down 0.1% at $9.32-3/4 a bushel
• Corn futures down 0.1% at $3.88-1/2 a bushel

Key African events or data releases yesterday & early a.m today

• Ivory Coast issues arrest warrant for presidential candidate Soro
• US halts sending bomb-sniffing dogs to Jordan, Egypt as 7 die
• Israel opposes Turkey-Libya maritime border accord
• Oil steadies as Russia touts easing OPEC+ output
• Tunisia PM-designate says to form govt of ‘independents’
• Congo prosecutors probe Israeli billionaire’s loan to state mining company
• Pro-govt group attacks rally demanding release of “illegally” held Nigerians
• Algeria’s powerful army chief dies at pivotal point in political crisis
• South Africa’s rand firms on US-China trade deal optimism
• Nigeria’s IHS Towers buys Brazilian telecoms infrastructure company CCS for undisclosed amount
• AngloGold Ashanti and IAMGOLD to sell stake in Mali mine
• Weak economy cuts number of South African companies paying tax
• Algeria’s president appoints General Said Chengriha as acting army chief
• Ankara and Moscow to discuss Syrian migrants, Libya conflict
• Uganda shilling unchanged amid thin trading volumes
• APICORP agrees $250 mln loans with Algeria’s Sonatrach subsidiary
• After Ethiopia crash, victims’ relatives say they were hounded by US law firms

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