By Rafiq Raji, PhD
Twitter: @DrRafiqRaji
Global Markets
- Asian shares hit 14-wk highs on trade deal hopes
- MSCI Asia ex-Japan +1%, highest since July 25
- S&P 500, Nasdaq post record closing highs Friday
- US & China say they have made progress in trade talks
- Japan markets closed for holiday
Oil Markets
- Oil edges down; eyes on data amid trade deal hopes
- US rig count drops for 2nd week in a row
- Saudi Aramco kick-starts IPO, provides few details
- Brent down 26 cents at $55.94 a barrel (0125GMT)
- WTI down 27 cents at $61.42
Precious metals
- Gold prices dip on trade deal optimism, strong US jobs data
- Spot gold down 0.2% at $1,511.27/oz. (0105GMT)
- US gold futures up 0.2% at $1,514.10/oz.
Grains
- Soybeans fall for first time in three sessions
- Soybean futures down 0.2% at $9.35 a bushel (0227GMT)
- Corn futures up 0.9% at $3.86 a bushel
- Wheat futures down 0.7% at $5.12-1/4 a bushel
Key African events or data releases today
[Posts & comments at my Twitter handle @DrRafiqRaji]
- Week-long celebrations in South Africa; after Rugby World Cup win
- South Africa Investment Conference; 5-7 Nov
- Ghana’s Akufo-Addo tours Volta region; 4-5 Nov
- Nigeria’s Buhari in UK on private visit
Key African events or data releases over the weekend & early a.m today
[Posted & commented on some headlines below at my Twitter handle @DrRafiqRaji]
- South African rand rises as rating dodges junk status for now
- Ethiopia PM Abiy says death toll from recent protests rises to 86
- Kosmos Energy finds oil off Equatorial Guinea – oil ministry
- Nigeria’s border closure to last at least until end-Jan – spokesman
- Israel-Egypt gas pipeline deal seen imminent
- Militants kill 54 in attack on Mali army post; IS claims responsibility
- South African pride erupts over Rugby World Cup win
- 5 candidates to run in Algeria’s presidential election next month
- Egypt’s Sinai Province swears allegiance to new Islamic State leader
- Soweto celebrates South Africa’s first Rugby World Cup win under black captain
- Rugby – Powerpacked South Africa dominate ragged England to win 3rd World Cup
- Attackers kill 3 in heavily guarded district of Bujumbura, Burundi
- Moody’s leaves South Africa teetering on brink of ‘junk’
- Moody’s changes outlook on South African sovereign rating to ‘negative’
- Algerians stage mass protest on anniversay of independence rising
- Oil trader Vitol pulls out of $1.5 bln deal to buy Nigerian oil fields
- Africa Oil – West Africa offers continue rise on margins, freight
- Floods in Somalia displace more than 250,000 people – UN
- Malawi court suspends wearing of wigs and gowns as temperatures soar
- Kenya’s Safaricom plans Ethiopia expansion after profit jump
- Inaugurated, Botswana’s Masisi pledges to diversify economy away from diamonds
- South Africa’s Taste Holdings to exit food business, sells Starbucks stores
- Ugandan shilling little-changed in slow activity
- South African court asks justice minister to rule on extradition of Mozambique ex-finmin
- South Africa’s Absa PMI rises to 48.1 in October
- Kenya’s Safaricom plans joint bid with Vodacom for Ethiopia licence
- South African court sets aside decision to extradite former Mozambique finmin
- Kenya’s Safaricom says first half core earnings up 12.7%
N.B. Full stories of above headlines are available on Reuters
