By Rafiq Raji, PhD
Twitter: @DrRafiqRaji
Global Markets
- Asia shares bounce, hope for best on US-China trade
- Shares recoup some of last week’s losses in early trade
- US officials continue to sound optimistic on trade
- Pro-democracy candidates sweep to power in HK vote
- Dollar benefits as US economy outperforms
Oil Markets
- Oil kicks off week with gains on fresh hopes for US-China trade talks
- Brent up 0.1% at $63.46 a barrel (0220GMT)
- WTI up 0.2% at $57.87
Precious metals
- Gold inches lower on trade deal hopes, firmer dollar
- Spot gold down 0.1% at $1,461.02/oz. (0058GMT)
- US gold futures down 0.2% at $1,460.60/oz.
Grains
- Wheat rises for 2nd session on lower US planting; soybeans near 8-wk low
- Wheat futures up 0.4% at $5.20-3/4 per bushel (0115GMT)
- Corn futures unchanged at $3.68-3/4 per bushel
- Soy futures unchanged at $8.97 per bushel
- Rice futures unchanged at $12.18 per hundredweight
Key African events or data releases today
[Posts & comments at my Twitter handle @DrRafiqRaji]
- Bank of Ghana interest rate decision [fcst. 15.0%, prev. 16.0%]
- Central Bank of Kenya interest rate decision [fcst. 8.0%, prev. 9.0%]
- Guinea-Bissau vote-counting ongoing
- AfDB conference on land policy in Abidjan
- Global gender summit in Kigali
- Final campaigns in 27 Nov. Namibia elections
Key African events or data releases over the weekend & early a.m today
[Posted & commented on some headlines below at my Twitter handle @DrRafiqRaji]
- Independent Egyptian news website says its offices were raided
- Guinea Bissau counts presidential ballots after weeks of chaos
- Death toll from Kenya landslides rises to 56 as heavy rains lash country’s north west
- Ex-Namibian minister freed a day after arrest on graft charges
- Small plane crashes in eastern Congo, killing at least 27 people
- Spain rescue ship stranded off Italy with 73 African migrants on board
- Namibian court denies former fisheries minister bail in corruption case
- Egypt signs energy accords at conference in new capital
- Ethiopia’s Sidama vote overwhelmingly to form autonomous region
- Tanzania protests after plane seized in Canada over land compensation dispute
- I’d rather died at sea than return to Libya, says rescued migrant
- US indicts Nigerian airline CEO on bank fraud and money laundering charges
- Egypt signs $430 mln natgas deal at investment forum
- Zimbabwe’s vice president returns after 4 mths in China receiving medical treatment
- 2 dead, 9 missing as fishing boat sinks off Morocco
- S&P downgrades South Africa’s outlook to negative
- South Africa blocks arms sales to Saudi and UAE in inspection row
- Telecoms group Orange completes sale of Orange Niger arm to Zamani
- Africa Oil – Angolan term allocations, Nigerian programmes emerge
- South African rand steady ahead of ratings decision, stocks up
- Morocco issued first international bond in 5 years on Thursday – statement
- African Union urges UK to cede Chagos Islands, end “colonial”rule
- WHO sounds alarm on ebola due to Congo insecurity
- South African Airways inks deal to end 8-day strike
- Weeks before vote, Algerian protesters pile on the pressure
- South Africa’s Naspers reports 48% slump in profits
- South African Airways says to restore full schedule this weekend
- Zimbabwe to order importers to declare forex sourcing – govt
- Morocco’s CPI rises 0.7% in October – planning agency
- Uganda shilling trades flat as debt and charity flows lend support
- Nigeria’s economy grew 2.28% in Q3 after oil output rose to 3-yr high
- Drone firm in talks in Uganda on medical supply delivery deal
- South Africa’s Tiger Brands’ annual earnings drop 17% on tepid recovery at meat unit
N.B. Full stories of above headlines are available on Reuters