The Editorial Team |

Europe Mulls Military Mission in Libya, Amid Oil Disruption

LAGOS (Capital Markets in Africa) – The European Union may deploy a military mission to help enforce an arms embargo and a potential cease-fire in Libya, as the bloc scrambles to contain a conflict that’s drawn in Russia and Turkey and that threatens to destabilize the Mediterranean. While no decisions were taken at a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels on Monday, two officials present in the discussion said there was consensus that preparations should begin…

What to Watch in Commodities: Davos, Oil Risks, BHP, Copper

Posted on by The Editorial Team

LAGOS (Capital Markets in Africa) – After the fanfare of the U.S.-China trade deal, commodities investors pivot this week to focus on policy, priorities, profits, and production. The first two of that quartet come from Davos. This year climate change looms large, an issue of central importance for carbon-based energy, the future of farming, and how funds are changing the way that they invest. Earnings season brings numbers from copper giant Freeport-McMoRan Inc. just as investors take…

The Debate Over Whether to Call It QE Is Over, and the Fed Lost

Posted on by The Editorial Team

NEW YORK (Capital Markets in Africa) – In the court of investor opinion, the verdict is in. The Federal Reserve is guilty of quantitative easing. Never mind that Chairman Jerome Powell tells everyone his efforts to shore up funding markets are “in no sense” QE. Try as policymakers may, they’ve lost the ability to convince people that Treasury purchases aren’t at least partially why the Dow Jones Industrial Average is up almost 4,000 points since late…

Charts Showing S. Africa Central Bank Data That Led to Cut

Posted on by The Editorial Team

JOHANNESBURG (Capital Markets in Africa) – Two months can be a long time in central banking, and if you are the South African Reserve Bank it can mean bringing an interest rate cut forward and a move to signaling even more. The Reserve Bank’s monetary policy committee unexpectedly cut its key rate to 6.25% from 6.5% on Thursday, a move predicted by only three of the 19 economists surveyed by Bloomberg. The Reserve Bank has…

Egypt Interrupts Rate Cuts as Inflation, Unrest Give Pause

Posted on by The Editorial Team

CAIRO (Capital Markets in Africa) – Egypt unexpectedly refrained from another cut in interest rates on Thursday after inflation ticked up in December and as unrest jolted other parts of the Middle East, from Iran to Libya. After three rounds of easing since August, the Monetary Policy Committee left the deposit rate at 12.25% and the lending rate at 13.25%, according to a statement Thursday. All but three of 19 economists surveyed by Bloomberg had predicted a…

Emerging Market Fiscal Gaps No Longer Bogeyman, HSBC Says

Posted on by The Editorial Team

ACCRA (Capital Markets in Africa) – Fiscal deficits are no longer such a worry for emerging-market investors, according to HSBC Holdings Plc. In a world of low-interest rates and quantitative easing, governments aren’t being punished for running bigger budget deficits and pushing up debt, said David Bloom, HSBC’s London-based global head of foreign-exchange strategy. Instead, investors are continuing to snap up emerging-market bonds as they search for higher yields. A case in point is South…

Nigeria Starts Stock Lending With 20.8 Million Shares Available

Posted on by The Editorial Team

LAGOS (Capital Markets in Africa) – The Nigerian Stock Exchange started lending and borrowing of shares as it seeks to reignite liquidity in Africa’s third-biggest bourse by listings. A combined 20.8 million shares are available, with Guaranty Trust Bank Plc, the nation’s biggest lender, providing 8.4 million, according to a statement on the Lagos-based NSE’s website. Nigeria’s Securities and Exchange Commission last year announced plans for securities lending, short-selling and hedging to attract inflows. Trading volumes on the…

« 1 … 219 220 221 222 223 … 1,069 »