By Rafiq Raji, PhD
Twitter: @DrRafiqRaji, @macroafrica
Global Markets
- Asian stocks struggle to build on Wall Street gains, dollar rises
- MSCI AxJ index trades either side of flat
- Dollar strength points to persistent caution
- Brent at $41.34, gold steady at $1,900
Oil Markets
- Oil down after US crude inventories rise against expectations
- Brent down 0.7% at $41.42 a barrel (0347GMT)
- WTI down 0.9% at $39.46
Precious metals
- Gold loses sheen as robust dollar weighs
- Spot gold down 0.2% at $1,894.69/oz. (0348GMT)
- US gold futures down 0.5% at $1,898/oz.
Grains
- Soybeans slips for third day on US harvest pressure, wheat eases
- Harvest-friendly US weather to boost soybean, corn supplies
- Soybean futures down 0.2% at $10.17-1/2 a bushel (0326GMT)
- Corn down 0.3% at $3.68 a bushel
- Wheat down 0.4% at $5.56 a bushel
Key African events or data releases today
[Posts & comments at my Twitter handles @DrRafiqRaji, @macroafrica]
- Bank of Mauritius decides interest rates [fcst. 1.85%, prev. 1.85%]
- Ghana NDC flagbearer Mahama briefing on voters register expected
- Ghana health workers continue strike
- Bank of Ghana meets on rates; decision on 28 Sep [fcst. 14.5%, prev. 14.5%]
- Ghana’s EC displays new voters register; 18-25 Sep
- 75th session of UN General Assembly (15-30 Sep); speeches & engagements by African leaders
- South Africa state capture inquiry continues
- Covid-19 updates by authorities across the continent
Key African events or data releases yesterday & early a.m today
- Nigeria’s main unions to strike over petrol, power price hikes
- Egypt’s Sisi committed to ridding Libya of militia, regional interference
- Ivory Coast ruling party says will hold election with or without opposition
- Glencore says DRC Kamato Copper Company ramping up to full production
- Macron tells Mali junta to hand power back to civilians quickly
- Cameroon opposition say one killed in protest against veteran ruler
- Zimbabwe to gradually re-open schools from Oct 26
- France’s Macron says working for new Libya meeting to solve crisis
- Uganda’s public debt surges in coronavirus crisis, central bank says
- South Africa’s rand recovers after sell-off, stocks slide
- Libya’s NOC says output to rise as it seeks to revive oil industry
- Kenya’s parliament to challenge dissolution bid over lack of women
- Nigeria’s central bank cuts benchmark rate to 11.5% in unexpected move
- Ivory Coast to boost cocoa processing with 2 new factories
- Libya’s NOC lifts force majeure at Zueitina oil terminal
- Angola’s Sonangol reports EBITDA of $4.8 bln in 2019 – statement
- Cameroon police break up opposition protests with tear gas, water cannon
- East Mediterranean states formally establish Egypt-based gas forum
- Insurgency in Mozambique threatens food security, says World Food Programme
- Coronavirus accelerates Nigeria’s digital banking push
- Meet the woman driving a motorbike taxi in eastern Congo
- South Africa’s rand falls again on second wave infection fears
- Turkey says EU sanctions on Turkish firm over Libya embargo show bias
N.B. Full stories of above headlines are available on Reuters
