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

Global Markets

• Asia stocks find footing as China markets restore some losses
• Coronavirus death toll rises further
• China shares rebound after Wall St bounces
• Oil leads commodity slide on fears for China demand

Oil Markets

• Oil prices rebound from China virus slump amid ginger recovery across markets
• Brent up nearly 0.4% at $54.66 a barrel (0227GMT)
• WTI up 0.6% at $50.43

Precious metals

• Firm dollar weighs on gold prices amid virus threats
• Spot gold down 0.1% at $1,575.27/oz. (0156GMT)
• US gold futures down 0.2% at $1,579.50/oz.

Grains

• Soybeans rise for second session; coronavirus fears cap gains
• Soybean futures up 0.1% at $8.77-1/2 a bushel (0147GMT)
• Corn futures up 0.3% at $3.80 a bushel
• Wheat futures down 0.2% at $5.54-1/4 a bushel

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

• OPEC+ technical committee meets over coronavirus in Vienna; 4-5 Feb
• 5^th Nigeria – US binational commission in Washington DC; 3-4 Feb
• Investing in African mining indaba in Cape Town; 3-6 Feb
• Kenya’s Kenyatta heads to Washington DC for trade talks
• UN-brokered Libya military talks in Geneva

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

• Kenya’s former president Daniel Arap Moi dies – Citizen TV
• Egypt non-oil private sector shrinks faster in Jan – PMI
• Families in Africa fear impact of US immigration ban
• UN-brokered Libya military talks begin in Geneva
• Israel and Sudan will push to normalise relations – Israeli officials
• More soldiers won’t help Mali, talks with [militants] might – UN
• Malawi court annuls President Mutharika’s 2019 election victory
• Egypt military brings in sovereign fund to help sell assets
• At least 13 students killed in stampede in Kenya – Daily Nation
• Africa Oil – Unipec halts WAF buying, offers cargoes as freight plummets
• Anglo-American to decide fate of South African thermal coal assets this year
• South Africa’s rand firms following slide on virus fears
• Nigeria stocks fall to 3-wk low as funds exit
• OPEC+ considering further 500,000 bpd oil output cut – sources
• Botswana projects narrower budget deficit for 2020/21
• Gas pipeline in Egypt’s Sinai attacked, imports from Israel unaffected
• Locust swarms threaten more countries in eastern Africa – FAO
• Unipec stops West African crude buying as virus hits Chinese demand – sources
• Congo’s new artisanal cobalt monopoly could seek private partner – minister
• Ghana to probe bribery accusations in Airbus deal
• Ivory Coast 2019/20 cocoa port arrivals seen at 1,419,000 T by Feb. 2 – exporters
• Morocco’s Maroc Telecom fined $344 mln for anti-competitive practices
• South Africa’s Absa PMI falls further in January
• Kenyan shilling strengthens, remittances help

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