Economy

LONDON (Capital Markets in Africa) – The U.K. economy’s bounce since the general election is proving bigger than initially estimated, justifying the Bank of England’s decision to hold fire last month on monetary easing. IHS Markit’s composite Purchasing Manager’s Index jumped to a 16-month high in January, beating an initial estimate. The dominant services sector also improved, and sentiment rose to the strongest since 2015. Sterling gained 0.3% to $1.3069 as of 9:55 a.m. in London. The…

CAIRO (Capital Markets in Africa) – Non-oil private sector growth in Egypt slowed to its lowest level in almost three years, dashing hopes for a rebound as weak consumer demand offset the potential boost of single-digit inflation. The IHS Markit Purchasing Managers’ Index fell for the sixth consecutive month in January to 46, well below the 50 level that marks an expansion in business activity. The slump came even as inflation remained well within the central bank’s…

LAGOS (Capital Markets in Africa) – Commodities took a heavy beating in January as the virus outbreak spurred across-the-board concerns about demand, and that focus will persist right through this week. Markets in China reopened on Monday, with most raw materials posting steep losses. For global prices, Citigroup Inc. now reckons Brent could soon go sub-$50 a barrel. For the latest, click here. On top of the health emergency, there’s a crowded corporate docket. In Europe, top steelmaker ArcelorMittal reports earnings on…

JOHANNESBURG (Capital Markets in Africa) – South Africa has no fiscal space left and must implement strong budget consolidation and state-owned company reforms to ensure its debt sustainability, the International Monetary Fund said. The October medium-term budget policy statement showed gross government debt would surge to 80.9% of gross domestic product in the 2028 fiscal year unless urgent action is taken. That trajectory is almost 20 percentage points higher than forecast in the February budget…

ACCRA (Capital Markets in Africa): Ghana’s central bank is caught between cutting interest rates to boost the economy and running the risk of weakening the currency, which could drive up inflation and spook investors ahead of December’s elections. One the one hand, inflation ended the year slightly below the government’s projection and economic growth slowed in the third quarter, giving room for an interest rate cut. However, a repeat of the government missing its fiscal…

LAGOS (Capital Markets in Africa): Economic growth in Rwanda could accelerate to more than 10% this year if the construction of a planned $1.3 billion airport starts, according to the World Bank, which increased its estimate for 2019 expansion for a second time. Growth was likely 8.5% last year, more than the 7.8% the Washington-based lender had initially anticipated, according to World Bank Senior Economist Aghassi Mkrtchyan. “The growth will be driven by an unexpected…

JOHANNESBURG (Capital Markets in Africa) – Less than a month into 2020, South African companies have already announced thousands of job cuts. In a country where a third of the labor force is already unemployed, this will put even more strain on demand and economic growth. Almost 8,000 jobs are at risk as companies including Telkom SA SOC Ltd., the country’s largest fixed-line operator, and Walmart Inc.’s local unit Massmart Holdings Ltd. plan to reduce their headcount after…