By Rafiq Raji, PhD
Twitter: @DrRafiqRaji, @macroafrica
Global Markets
- Asia shares reverse early gains, eyes on China-US trade relations
- MSCI Asia-Pacific ex-Japan down 0.1%
- Hang Seng down 1.4%
- South Korea, Australia & NZ shares up
Oil Markets
- Oil falls as US-China tensions take toll
- Brent down 0.5% at $34.94 a barrel (0152GMT)
- WTI down 0.2% at $33.19
Precious metals
- Gold down as potential Japanese stimulus boosts risk appetite
- Spot gold down 0.4% at $1,728.06/oz. (0252GMT)
- US gold futures down 0.4% at $1,728.50/oz.
Grains (22 May)
- US wheat, soybean futures fall with export prospects; corn edges up
- Soybeans slump on US-China tensions
- Wheat slips back after three successive daily gains
- Soybeans ends down 1-3/4 cents at $8.33-1/4 a bushel
- Wheat down 7-1/4 cents at $5.08-3/4 a bushel
- Corn slightly up ¼ cent at $3.18 a bushel
Key African events or data releases today
[Posts & comments at my Twitter handles @DrRafiqRaji, @macroafrica]
- Africa Day; activities across continent
- Nigeria GDP Q1-2020 [fcst. 1.0% yy, prev. 2.6%]
- South Africa govt briefings on planned 1 June covid level 3 alert move
- Muslim Eid celebrations; some markets on holiday
- Key African countries on lockdown or restricted; subdued economic activity
- Covid-19 updates by authorities across the continent
Key African events or data releases over the weekend & early a.m today
- Ivory Coast army joins Burkina Faso in anti-insurgent operation
- Workers at China Moly’s Congo mine end 1-day strike over covid-19
- South Africa president says lockdown to ease from June 1
- AngloGold Ashanti shuts South Africa mine after finding 164 coronavirus cases
- Libya Haftar seeks to rouse forces against Turkey
- Zambia information minister tests positive for coronavirus
- Trump urges Libya de-escalation on call with Erdogan – White House
- eSwatini cuts rates further in response to virus
- South Africa, Mozambique discuss aid to fight insurgency
- Africa’s Muslims celebrate Eid in the shadow of covid-19
- Namibia culls ten ‘dangerous’ elephants to protect farmers, crops
- Egypt forces kill 21 militants in North Sinai – state TV
- Burundi police detain more than 200 opposition election observers
- UK court throws out Nigeria oil corruption case against Shell, Eni
- South America is a new covid ‘epicentre’, Africa deaths still low – WHO
- Anglo American explores sale of South Africa coal alongside spin-off – sources
- Africa Oil – India’s IOC takes four cargoes
- South Africa rand retreats as US-China tensions dim risk appetite
- Libya Tripoli govt retakes more areas of capital
- Africa music legend Mory Kante dies aged 70 in Guinea
- World Bank sees Nigeria $1.5 bln loan decision in late July – Bank official
- UN prosecutor: remains of Rwanda war crimes suspect found in Congo
- Angola oil exploration evaporates as covid-19 overshadows historic reforms
- UK’s Blair: Patchy data means Africa could use antibody tests to track covid-19
- South Africa scientists say up to 50,000 covid-19 deaths possible
- Uganda shilling unchanged as banks’ appetite flat
- Egypt strategic rice reserves sufficient until October – supply ministry
- South Africa’s Sasol full-year earnings drop of at least 20%
- South Africa’s Nedbank warns on profit amid covid-19 crisis
N.B. Full stories of above headlines are available on Reuters