The Markets | - Part 124

Moody’s Sees East African Economies Expanding Fastest Globally

NAIROBI (Capital Markets in Africa) – East African economies will be among the fastest growing globally over the next two years with rates of 5.5 percent to 7 percent, driven by public spending on infrastructure, according to Moody’s Investors Service. Rwanda and Tanzania are expected to grow at 6.5 percent to 7.5 percent annually, while Uganda and Kenya could see rates of 5 percent – 6 percent. The services sector, which makes up the largest share of…

OPEC’s Newest Member May Boost Output as Much as 65% This Year

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LAGOS (Capital Markets in Africa) – The Republic of Congo expects to raise oil production by as much 65 percent this year as two new projects come on stream, Hydrocarbons Minister Jean-Marc Thystere-Tchicaya said. Congo joined OPEC last week and plans to open up its oil industry, which the government says is dominated by Total SA and Eni SpA, to new investors. Sub-Saharan Africa’s third-biggest oil producer pumped 291,000 barrels per day last year, according to the BP…

Government debt at $14 trillion at end-2017, equivalent to 48% of GDP

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LAGOS (Capital Markets in Africa) -The Institute of International Finance indicated that the level of general government debt in emerging markets (EMs) reached a record-high of $14 trillion at the end of 2017, which is equivalent to 48% of aggregate EM GDP. It noted that government debt in EMs grew by $6 trillion since the end of 2010, with significant increases in the public debt levels of Brazil, Colombia, Egypt, South Africa and Ukraine. Also, it pointed out that government debt…

Emerging Markets Have Many Tools, Few Good: A. Gary Shilling

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LAGOS (Capital Markets in Africa) – The rising U.S. dollar and higher interest rates are pummelling emerging markets. Foreign investors who rode the big rally in these markets in 2016 and 2017 see little reason to stick around and are leaving en masse. This shift will probably persist since dollar-denominated obligations make up some 75 percent of the trillions of dollars in developing-economy debt. True, cheaper currencies versus the greenback aid developing economies by…

Emerging-Market Carry Trades Set for Worst Quarter Since 2011

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LAGOS (Capital Markets in Africa) – A strategy that made emerging-market investors money in the previous five quarters is getting upended by a stronger dollar and the prospect of a prolonged trade war. A Bloomberg currency index that measures carry-trade returns from eight emerging markets, funded by short positions in the dollar, has slumped 8.9 percent since end-March, set for its worst quarterly loss since the three months through September 2011. After rallying since 2016, what’s turned the strategy…

Goldman Sachs Mulling Crypto Trades Beyond Futures, Solomon Says

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LAGOS (Capital Markets in Africa) – Goldman Sachs Group Inc., one of the biggest U.S. investment banks, is exploring cryptocurrency trades beyond the publicly-traded derivatives that it already handles, according to Chief Operating Officer David Solomon. “We are clearing some futures around Bitcoin, talking about doing some other activities there, but it’s going very cautiously,” said Solomon in an interview with Bloomberg TV in China. “We’re listening to our clients and trying to help our clients…

Cryptocurrencies Fall as Korean Exchange Says $32 Million Stolen

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LAGOS (Capital Markets in Africa) – Bithumb, ranked by Coinmarketcap.com as the world’s seventh-largest crypto exchange by traded value, said on Wednesday that hackers stole about 35 billion won ($32 million) and that Ripple was among the coins taken. The exchange halted cryptocurrency deposits and withdrawals, said it will compensate victims and moved investor assets to a so-called cold wallet, which is disconnected from the Internet and less vulnerable to theft. Bitcoin, the largest cryptocurrency, dropped as…

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