By Rafiq Raji, PhD
Twitter: @DrRafiqRaji
Global Markets
- Asian stocks rally to record high ahead of trade deal; yen slips
- Imminent trade deal drives optimism
- World stocks hit record high, Nikkei hits month-high
- Yen drops to 7-mth low
Oil Markets
- Oil prices dip as Mideast tensions ease; market eyes trade deal
- US crude oil inventories likely fell last week – poll
- Brent down 0.1% at $64.12 a barrel (0124GMT)
- WTI down 0.1% at $58.04
Precious metals
- Gold falls ahead of US-China trade deal on improved risk appetite
- Spot gold down 0.7% at $1,537.67/oz. (0126GMT)
- US gold futures down 0.9% at $1,537.10/oz.
Grains
- Soybeans drop for 2nd day; US-China trade deal eyed
- Wheat futures down 0.1% at $5.61-1/2 a bushel (0213GMT)
- Corn futures down about 0.1% at $3.89-1/4 a bushel
- Soy futures down 0.1% at $9.41 a bushel
- Rice futures unchanged at $13.23 per hundredweight
Key African events or data releases today
[Posts & comments at my Twitter handle @DrRafiqRaji]
- 2nd Business Unity South Africa Indaba; Ramaphosa attending
- South Africa state capture inquiry resumes
- Nigeria Supreme Court to decide 6 gubernatorial election appeals
- South Africa consumer confidence Q4-19 [prev. -7]
- South Africa central bank MPC meets on interest rates (14-16 Jan)
- Egypt, Ethiopia & Sudan meet over Nile dam in Washington DC; 15 Jan deadline for agreement
- South Africa’s Mabuza in South Sudan for consultations on peace agreement
Key African events or data releases yesterday & early a.m today
- US confirms ‘avoidable’ death of Egyptian-American Kassem in custody
- Nigeria’s Lekoil halts London trading on finding loan was ‘complex façade’
- France, West Africa to unite forces in fight against militants
- Nigeria’s central bank reschedules monetary policy committee meeting to Jan.23-24
- France to send extra 220 troops to fight militants in Sahel – Macron
- Libya’s Haftar, Serraji did not meet officially during Moscow talks – Interfax
- South Africa’s mining industry calls for action to end power crisis
- Libya peace talks in Moscow fall short of ceasefire deal
- Nigeria seeks to boost revenue, support small firms with new finance law
- Africa Oil – India’s IOC issues two tenders, programmes awaited
- Egypt’s Suez Canal Economic Zone to set up investment arm
- South African rand soft ahead of data-packed week
- US Supreme Court rebuffs Sudan bid to limit damages over embassy bombings
- Ivory Coast pledges trafficking crackdown as 137 child victims are rescued
- Trump, Germany’s Merkel discussed security, Libya – White House
- Egypt’s central bank received no request from Bank Audi to sell Egyptian unit
- Egypt’s Beltone to sell stake in brokerage Auerback in 2020
- Niger sacks army chief after deadliest attacks in years
- Zimbabwe finance minister sticks to 3% growth forecast despite poor rains
- EU welcomes Libya ceasefire, says UN must lead reconciliation
- Kenya’s stock exchange sees boost from repeal of rate cap
- Angola holds off on chasing dos Santos’ assets abroad – prosecution
- MTN Nigeria rises 10% after $2 bln tax case withdrawn
- Ivory Coast 2019/20 cocoa arrivals reach 1.259 mln T by Jan. 12 – exporters
- Germany plans to hold Libya summit on Jan 19 – participants
- Ivory Coast cocoa arrivals reached 1.112 mln T by Dec. 31
- Angolan courts could take action to seize dos Santos’ assets abroad ‘if necessary’ – prosecution
- 3 teachers killed in suspected militant attack near Kenya’s Somalia border – police
- South Africa’s Massmart could cut 1,440 jobs
- Uganda shilling stronger on back of commodity flows
N.B. Full stories of above headlines are available on Reuters