South Africa’s poor tax revenues to delay fiscal consolidation

South Africa’s poor tax revenues to delay fiscal consolidation

JOHANNESBURG (Capital Markets in Africa) – South Africa’s finance minister is expected to address concerns over dwindling tax revenues in his mid-term budget on Wednesday to reassure credit agencies of his commitment to a tighter purse, a Reuters poll found. Malusi Gigaba is due to give his first review on finances on Oct. 25 and economists expect him to announce a revenue shortfall of 40 billion rand ($3.0 billion) for the year that began in…

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Bank of England Governor Mark Carney Confirms Rate Hike Is Near

Bank of England Governor Mark Carney Confirms Rate Hike Is Near

LONDON (Capital Markets in Africa) – Mark Carney reaffirmed that the Bank of England is close to its first interest-rate increase in over a decade, as inflation hit 3 percent and one of his colleagues said the economy is approaching a “tipping point.” In a series of testimonies to lawmakers, the BOE governor and the two newest members of the rate-setting Monetary Policy Committee signalled that the erosion of economic slack is dominating their thinking as they prepare for…

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German Investor Optimism Gains as Economy and Stocks Power Ahead

German Investor Optimism Gains as Economy and Stocks Power Ahead

LAGOS (Capital Markets in Africa) – German investor confidence rose for a second month as stocks rallied and data signalled that Europe’s largest economy is on track for a solid expansion in the second half of the year. The ZEW Centre for European Economic Research’s index of investor expectations climbed to 17.6 in October from 17 in September. The reading compares with a median estimate in a Bloomberg survey for an increase to 20.0. After a…

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Ghana’s Economy Expands Most Since 2014 as Oil Industry Grows

Ghana’s Economy Expands Most Since 2014 as Oil Industry Grows

ACCRA (Capital Markets in Africa) – Ghana’s economy expanded the most in three years in the second quarter as the oil and gas industry increased. The gross domestic product of West Africa’s largest economy after Nigeria’s rose 9 percent from a year earlier in the three months through June, Baah Wadieh, the acting government statistician at the Ghana Statistical Service, told reporters Wednesday in the capital, Accra. The median of five estimates in a survey…

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Moody’s: Cameroon’s credit profile supported by diversified economy

Moody’s: Cameroon’s credit profile supported by diversified economy

YAOUNDE (Capital Markets in Africa) – Moody’s Investors Service says that while Government of Cameroon’s (B2 stable) credit profile is supported by a diversified economy that has limited the impact of the oil price shock, the country still faces challenges from its weak institutional environment and rising public sector debt. The annual report, “Government of Cameroon — B2 Stable, Annual credit analysis”, is now available on www.moodys.com. Moody’s subscribers can access this report via the…

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Kenyan Credit Growth Accelerates for First Time in Two Years

Kenyan Credit Growth Accelerates for First Time in Two Years

NAIROBI (Capital Markets in Africa) – Lending to Kenya’s private sector accelerated in August for the first time in two years, after growing at the weakest pace since 2002 the month before as banks continued to shun borrowers because of a government-imposed interest-rate cap. Credit grew 1.6 percent in August from a year earlier, compared with 1.4 percent in July, the Central Bank of Kenya said in an emailed statement. The bank kept its benchmark interest rate…

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Tanzanian Leader’s War for Taxes Puts Economy in Firing Line

Tanzanian Leader’s War for Taxes Puts Economy in Firing Line

DAR ES SALAAM (Capital Markets in Africa) – Tanzanian President John Magufuli’s deepening dispute with  companies he accuses of being tax cheats is rattling investors and dimming the   allure of one of Africa’s fastest-growing economies. Since taking office in late 2015, Magufuli has been on a drive to increase  revenue from natural resources to help fund his industrialization plans. His   administration has passed laws enabling it to renegotiate contracts and ordered   foreign mining firms to…

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