By Rafiq Raji, PhD
Twitter: @DrRafiqRaji, @macroafrica
Global Markets
- Asian stocks drop after Wall Street’s tech rally stumbles
- Nikkei, ASX 200, Kospi all open lower
- Falls more muted than 5% Nasdaq plunge, MSCI AxJ -0.6%
- Dollar & bonds trade firmly, US payrolls eyed
- Brent down 0.5% at $43.83, gold steady at $1,933.28
Oil Markets
- Oil set to post weekly drop on lacklustre demand
- China’s crude import set to slow in Sept – Refinitiv
- High diesel inventory cap US refiners’ utilisation rates
- Brent down 0.4% at $43.88 a barrel (0034GMT)
- WTI down 0.5% at $41.17
Precious metals
- Gold gains as stocks pull back; US jobs data in focus
- Spot gold up 0.3% at $1,935.84/oz. (0304GMT)
- US gold futures up 0.2% at $1,941.80/oz.
Grains
- Soybeans fall from 2-yr high, on course for weekly gain of 1.5%
- Soybean futures up 1.5% for the week
- Corn down nearly 1.5% for the week
- Wheat up nearly 1% for the week
Key African events or data releases today
[Posts & comments at my Twitter handles @DrRafiqRaji, @macroafrica]
- Nigeria eases Covid-19 measures, international flights resume (5 Sep)
- Ivory Coast’s Ouattara meets France’s Macron in Paris
- South Africa’s Eskom reduces power cuts
- South Africa state capture inquiry continues
- Covid-19 updates by authorities across the continent
Key African events or data releases yesterday & early a.m today
- Algeria’s Sonatrach says 2 oil leakages occurred at the OK1 pipeline due to bad weather
- South Africa telecoms regulator delays spectrum release until 2021
- Nigeria ‘no longer in the business of fixing’ fuel prices, oil minister says
- Libya interior minister restored to post after talks
- Nigeria authorities cite need for more Covid-19 test sample collections
- Nigeria authorities disturbed by low level of coronavirus test sample collection
- Ex-first daughter of Angola Neto say no wrongdoing by husband in Swiss corruption probe
- South Africa’s Eskom to reduce power cuts on Friday
- South Africa franchise restaurant chain Spur to further defer interim dividend payment
- Beyond Covid, Russia’s state grain trader UGC eyes Algeria & Iraq
- WHO aiming for 20% of Africa to get initial Covid jabs from access plan
- Macron to meet Ivory Coast President Ouattara after election u-turn
- Despite coup, France & allies push on with new Mali task force
- Ghana court dismisses MTN’s challenge against market regulator
- South Africa’s Implats earnings up nearly 400% on weak rand, costly metal
- South Africa’s Comair needs $72 mln and to cut 400 jobs, administrators say
- Africa-CDC says all countries should join global Covid-19 vaccine effort
- Long-missed pink flamingos return to Kenya’s Lake Nakuru
- Russia resumes international flights with Egypt, UAE & Maldives
N.B. Full stories of above headlines are available on Reuters