The Editorial Team

Why Did Almost Nobody See Inflation Coming?

LAGOS (Capital Markets in Africa) – Forecasting inflation is a staple of macroeconomic modeling, yet virtually all economists’ predictions for the United States in 2021 were way off the mark. This dismal performance reflected a collective failure to take economic models seriously enough, as well as other analytical shortcomings. In 2008, as the global financial crisis was ravaging economies everywhere, Queen Elizabeth II, visiting the London School of Economics, famously asked, “Why did nobody see it…

Africa: A continent of opportunity

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LAGOS (Capital Markets in Africa) – Invesco believes that Africa will be the economic and investment story of this century. However, it is a continent of 54 countries, each with its own potential, pitfalls and capacity to absorb different forms of investment. The aim of this document is to examine each country in turn and to reach conclusions about the possibility and desirability of investments. Why Africa Before turning to the country detail, it may…

Microsoft Gambles on Troubled Activision, But Risks Are Likely Manageable

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LAGOS (Capital Markets in Africa) — Microsoft Corp. in its planned purchase of Activision Blizzard Inc. will take on a company with a troubled reputation surrounding its workplace culture, but the risks stemming from those problems are far from insurmountable, deals experts said. Microsoft’s announcement this week that it intends to purchase the videogame company in a $75 billion all-cash deal came after Activision experienced a spate of bad news over the past six months,…

What the Metaverse Is, Who’s In It and Why It Matters: QuickTake

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LAGOS (Capital Markets in Africa) – The metaverse is a virtual universe that blends aspects of digital technologies including video-conferencing, games like Minecraft or Roblox, cryptocurrencies, email, virtual reality, social media and live-streaming. Quite how these pieces will fit together is a work in progress, but some tech giants already see it as the future of human communication and interaction. It’s “the next frontier,” Mark Zuckerberg said when he changed his company’s name from Facebook…

Bitcoin Tumbles Below $40,000 to Lowest Level in Five Months

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LAGOS (Capital Markets in Africa) – Cryptocurrencies sank Friday, taking Bitcoin to the lowest level in more than five months as risk aversion again swept across global markets. The largest cryptocurrency dropped as much as 7.4% to $38,261, while second-ranked Ether slid below $3,000. Digital tokens overall have shed some $1 trillion in value since a November peak, according to CoinMarketCap data. “Bitcoin and the broader crypto market remain subject to the whims of macro variables,” Fundstrat Digital…

Gloomy Britons Suggest Cost-of-Living Crisis Is Gathering Speed

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LONDON (Capital Markets in Africa) – The U.K.’s fast-approaching cost-of-living crisis is already making Britons worry about their budgets, setting up a rocky 2022 for households and businesses still reeling from the impact of the pandemic. Many people are particularly worried by both their personal finances and the general economic situation, making them reluctant to splash out on big purchases, according to a closely watched survey of consumer confidence released on Friday. Meanwhile, the arrival of the…

Netflix, Peloton Bring Pandemic-Stock Era to Shuddering Halt

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NEW YORK (Capital Markets in Africa) – The Covid-19 pandemic isn’t over yet, but the boom it helped create for stay-at-home stocks appears to be vanishing. Netflix Inc. and Peloton Interactive Inc., two of the highest-profile stars of the lockdown era, both plunged Thursday — the latest sign that investors have moved on from the so-called pandemic trade. Netflix expects to add a paltry 2.5 million users in the current quarter, well short of estimates. Peloton, meanwhile, is slashing…

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