By Rafiq Raji, PhD
Twitter: @DrRafiqRaji
Global Markets
- Asian shares climb on prospects of trade progress, low rates
- MSCI Asia ex-Japan +0.14%
- S&P 500, Dow Jones, Nasdaq finish at record closing highs
- Trade headlines offset soft US data
Oil Markets
- Oil dips after US stock build; US-China deal hopes support
- Brent down 0.3% at $64.08 a barrel (0145GMT)
- WTI down 0.3% at $58.24
Precious metals
- Gold eases as Trump’s remarks boost trade deal hopes
- Spot gold down 0.1% at $1,459.91/oz. (0103GMT)
- US gold futures unchanged at $1,460.60/oz.
Grains
- US soybeans tick up after deep losses, South American competition caps gains
- Wheat futures up 0.1% at $5.31-1/2 per bushel (0141GMT)
- Corn futures up 0.1% at $3.67-3/4 per bushel
- Soy futures up 0.3% at $8.86-1/2 per bushel
- Rice futures nearly unchanged at $12.24 per hundredweight
Key African events or data releases today
[Posts & comments at my Twitter handle @DrRafiqRaji]
- Kenya’s “BBI” constitutional reforms report launch by Kenyatta et al.
- Namibia general elections
- Bank of Mauritius interest rate decision [fcst. 3.25%, prev. 3.35%]
- South Africa’s Ramaphosa working visit to Lesotho
- South Africa business confidence Q4 2019 [prev. 21]
- 2019 Euroliberian film festival in Monrovia
- Global gender summit in Kigali; 25-27 Nov
- South Africa state capture inquiry continues
Key African events or data releases yesterday & early a.m today
[Posted & commented on some headlines below at my Twitter handle @DrRafiqRaji]
- Pompeo urges Egypt to respect freedom of press after journalist detentions
- Egypt launches first communication satellite – cabinet
- South Africa’s power sector reform timeline “optimistic” – S&P
- Tunisia’s state airline to axe 400 jobs in cost-cutting plan
- Zambia’s KCM smelter set to restart after 2-wk delay – minister
- Zimbabwe senior doctors stop work as public hospital strike spreads
- French troops pursuing Mali militants killed in helicopter collision
- Africa Oil – Total sells Dalia, more Nigerian programmes appear
- Floods kill at least 39 in Congo’s capital Kinshasa
- South African rand steady, focus on US-China talks
- Nigeria holds rates after border closures spur inflation
- Energy-short South Sudan powers up – but with fossil fuels
- Nigeria’s central bank holds benchmark interest rate at 13.5%
- Glencore’s Mutanda mine in Congo shuts a month early
- Kenyan lenders to shun “wild west banditry”, central banker says
- WHO, UNICEF evacuate 76 staff from ebola teams in Congo due to insecurity
- Egypt to sell land to help restructure state companies
- Kenya shilling weakens on end month demand
- French Mali troops died after ‘Tigre’ and ‘Cougar’ helicopters collided
- Ugandan shilling unchanged amid inflows from exporters
- Tanzania secures $1 bln syndicated loan from TDB bank for infrastructure
- Egypt to sell 22%-25% of Heliopolis shares in Q1, minister says
- Botswana opposition challenges election result in court
- South Africa’s Omnia Holdings swings into interim profit
- US officials meet with Libya’s Haftar amid push to end Tripoli offensive
N.B. Full stories of above headlines are available on Reuters