By Rafiq Raji, PhD
Twitter: @DrRafiqRaji, @macroafrica
Global Markets
- Asian shares tick up, aim for 2nd week of gains amid virus scare
- Ex-Japan Asian shares up 0.3%, Nikkei loses 0.5%
- Hopes of govt stimulus support shares
- Dollar hits 4-mth high as investors flee to US assets
- Euro hits 3-yr low ahead of euro zone GDP
Oil Markets
- Oil prices steady but set for weekly gain on supply cut optimism
- Brent down 9 cents at $56.25 a barrel (0234GMT)
- WTI down 1 cent at $51.41
Precious metals
- Gold eases as equities edge up, virus concerns cap losses
- Gold set to gain 0.3% for the week
- Spot gold down 0.1% at $1,574.69/oz. (0427GMT)
- US gold futures down 0.1% at $1,577.80/oz.
Grains
- Soybeans on course for biggest weekly gain in nearly 2 mths
- Soybean futures up 1.5% for the week
- Corn futures down 1% so far this week
- Wheat futures down 2.5% for the week
Key African events or data releases today
[Posts & comments at my Twitter handles @DrRafiqRaji, @macroafrica]
- US Secretary of State Pompeo visits Senegal; 15-16 Feb
- Ethiopia’s Abiy visits UAE
- EFF’s Malema addresses Press Club of South Africa
- Guinea’s Conde in Saudi Arabia; parliamentary elections on 16 Feb
- 18th African fine coffees conference & exhibition in Mombasa, Kenya; 12-14 Feb
Key African events or data releases yesterday & early a.m today
- Woodside holds on to stake in Senegal oil field as FAR challenge fails
- Nigeria’s military razed villages in war on insurgents – Amnesty International
- ‘Ghost’ ancestors: African DNA study detects mysterious human species
- IMF, World Bank move pushes Somalia closer to debt forgiveness
- South Africa must fix its public finances, Ramaphosa says
- South Africa plans summit to finalise continental free trade agreement
- South Africa’s Ramaphosa says restructured SAA should not be dependent on bailouts
- South Africa says will establish sovereign wealth fund
- South Africa to procure additional renewable energy to ease shortages – Ramaphosa
- South Africa’s Ramaphosa says economic recovery has stalled due to power shortages
- Africa Oil – Sonangol sells last spot cargo
- Mali troops return to key northern city after 6-yr absence
- Nigeria grants FX access for milk imports to 6 mostly foreign firms
- Nigeria’s oil output could fall 35% without reforms – Wood Mackenzie
- Libya reopens Tripoli’s Mitiga airport after hours of closure
- South African rand slides, stocks dip ahead of Ramaphosa speech
- Nigeria offers longer-term naira contracts to lure investors, shore up FX
- Mozambique’s economy grew 2.03% in Q4 – statistics office
- Sudan inflation jumps to 64.3% in January
- In further bid to silence media, Somalia harassing journalists online – Amnesty
- South African state airline SA Express under bankruptcy protection
- Egypty approves first gold mining licence in more than a decade
- Ethiopia passes law imposing jail terms for internet posts that stir unrest
- Nigeria central bank offers 5-yr naira futures contract for first time
- Africa FX – Kenyan shilling to weaken, Uganda’s to be stable
- South Africa’s Eskom to spend up to $27 mln on severance packages
- Thousands of Cameroonians flee to Nigeria as violence flares
- South African airline Comair expects first half loss due to MAX grounding
- Sudan agrees to compensate families of USS cole victims – state news agency
- Uganda’s benchmark lending rate on hold at 9.0% for a second time
- Blast shuts oil pipeline feeding Nigeria’s Brass oil exports – officials
- Nigeria’s Green Africa Airways signs initial agreement for 50 Airbus A220-300s
- Mali architect fights climate change with digital greenhouse
- Libya’s NOC oil output at 191,475 bpd as of Feb. 12
- South Africa’s Tongaat in talks to sell starch business
N.B. Full stories of above headlines are available on Reuters