By Rafiq Raji, PhD
Twitter: @DrRafiqRaji

Global Markets

• Asian shares lower as investors book decade-end profits
• MSCI Asia ex-Japan -0.39%, still up 16% on year
• Profit-taking drives losses
• US, China expected to sign deal soon – White House officials
• China December manufacturing activity better than expected

Oil Markets

• Oil prices edge down but set for biggest yearly rise since 2016
• Brent, WTI futures each down 0.2%
• Benchmarks on track for biggest annual gain in 3 years
• US crude stocks fell about 3.2 mln bbls last week – poll
• Brent down 0.2% at $66.56 a barrel (0158GMT)
• WTI down 0.2% at $61.57

Precious metals

• Gold prices steady, set for best year since 2010
• Spot gold little changed at $1,515.23/oz. (0044GMT)
• US gold futures unchanged at $1,518.30/oz.

Grains

• US grains fall on profit booking
• Wheat set for 3^rd straight yearly gain
• Wheat futures down 0.4% at $5.54 a bushel (0200GMT); +10.1% y/y
• Soybean futures down 0.1% at $9.51-3/4 a bushel; +6.3% y/y
• Corn futures down 0.3% at $3.87-1/4 a bushel; +3.2% y/y

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

• Ghana’s December 31 revolution anniversary in Winneba; Rawlings to speak
• Uganda’s Museveni New Year address
• Guinea-Bissau runoff presidential vote-counting; results due Wed.
• Kenya inflation Dec-19 [fcst. 5.6% yy, prev. 5.4%]
• Uganda inflation Dec-19 [fcst. 3.4% yy, prev. 3.0%]
• South Africa PSCE Nov-19 [fcst. 7.7% yy, prev. 7.3%]
• South Africa M3 Nov-19 [fcst. 6.9% yy, prev. 7.3%]

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

• Sudan to deploy troops to West Darfur after deadly unrest
• Militants kill 18 in attack in eastern Congo
• Sudan sentences 29 intelligence agents to hang for teacher’s killing
• Turkey may send allied Syrian fighters to Libya – sources
• Africa Oil – Angolan slow to sell due to freight rates
• South Africa’s rand slips; MTN drops on US complaint
• Somalia says unnamed country behind blast that killed 90 people
• Guinea-Bissau presidential candidate Embalo claims victory, opponent says wait
• South Africa’s MTN reviewing allegations after being named in US complaint
• Egypt’s central bank to auction $800 mln of 1-yr T-bills on Jan 6
• Morocco’s Cosumar to start operating Saudi sugar refinery in March 2020
• Exxon acquires over 1.7 mln exploration acreage offshore Egypt
• Young Libyans train as pastry chefs as state jobs dry up
• Turkey fast-tracks bill to deploy troops to Libya
• Merkel, Erdogan and Putin discuss diplomatic solution for Libya
• Turkish opposition says it opposes Libya troop deployment bill
• Mauritius closes main airport as cyclone Calvinia approaches
• Kenyan shilling weakens, pressured by end-mth dollar demand
• Ugandan shilling unchanged amid flat market activity
• US military says Somalia air strikes killed 4 militants
• Rio Tinto to restart South African unit in 2020 after security scare

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