By Rafiq Raji, PhD
Twitter: @DrRafiqRaji, @macroafrica
Global Markets
- Asia stocks swing wildly on US-China trade deal mix-up
- MSCI Asia-Pacific ex-J up 0.7%
- China blue-chips recover, Hang Seng up 0.7%
- Australia shares up 0.1%, Nikkei up 0.8%
Oil Markets
- Oil prices steady amid signs of demand coming back after coronavirus
- Brent up 6 cents at $43.14 a barrel (0046GMT)
- WTI up 8 cents at $40.81
Precious metals
- Gold slips ahead of euro PMI data, second virus wave fears cap losses
- Spot gold down 0.2% at $1,750.75/oz. (0324GMT)
- US gold futures down 0.2% at $1,763.70/oz.
Grains
- Corn falls to near 1-wk low on upbeat USDA crop condition report
- Corn futures down 0.5% at $3.26-3/4 a bushel (0111GMT)
- Soybeans up 0.1% at $8.77-1/2 a bushel
- Wheat down 0.4% at $4.87-1/2 a bushel
Key African events or data releases today
[Posts & comments at my Twitter handles @DrRafiqRaji, @macroafrica]
- Malawi court-ordered presidential election rerun
- Nigeria’s Buhari & other WAMZ heads of state meet (virtual)
- South Africa publishes Q1-2020 labour statistics
- South Africa’s Zuma returns to court for corruption trial
- Kenya senate hears impeached Kirinyaga county governor Waiguru’s defense
- South Africa’s Ramaphosa opens inaugural sustainable infrastructure symposium
- Nigeria finance minister Ahmed speaks at NESG webinar
- South Africa SACCI business confidence May-20 [prev. 77.8]
- Key African countries on lockdown or restricted; subdued economic activity
- Covid-19 updates by authorities across the continent
Key African events or data releases yesterday & early a.m today
- Malawi election re-run a test case for African democracy
- Liberia extends covid-19 state of emergency as cases rise ‘exponentially’
- South Africa’s City Lodge to raise 1.2 bln rand via rights issue
- South Africa’s Cell C plans to lay off 960 workers as it streamlines operations
- Coronavirus slowdown squeezes Ivory Coast cotton sector
- South Africa rand steadies as focus shifts to budget
- Suspected militant head arrested in Ivory Coast
- South Africa to oppose Airlink’s bid to halt SAA creditors meeting
- Namibia further relaxes coronavirus restrictions despite rising case
- South Africa’s Aspen says it has capacity to meet demand for dexamethasone
- Nigeria’s WTO candidate gets regional backing – document
- Nigeria doctors suspend strike over benefits to hold talks
- Turkey dismisses Egypt warning of Libya intervention
- Morocco used NSO’s spyware to snoop on journalist, Amnesty says
- Police, job-seeking protesters clash in Tunisia city of Tataouine
- South Africa Telkom axes dividends for 3 years after profit slide
- Ivory Coast says arrested head of commando unit of June 10 attack
- Minibus drivers in South Africa strike over coronavirus funding
- Mozambique offers $2.5 bln funding guarantee to LNG project, says report
- Morocco’s CPI drops to 0.2% y/y in May – planning agency
- ICC prosecutors cite grave errors in Ivory Coast’s Gbagbo acquittal at start of appeal
- Uganda shilling trades unchanged amid flat appetite
- South Africa’s Edcon creditors go to court to halt restructuring meeting
- South Africa’s Omnia Holdings in talks for sale of Oro Agri unit
N.B. Full stories of above headlines are available on Reuters