Southern Africa |

Mozambique’s Eurobond Strategy May Damage Restructure Prospects

MAPUTO (Capital Markets in Africa) – Mozambique’s decision to skip an interest payment on its Eurobonds this week was a strategic move that will be damaging for the debt-restructuring process it started, a group of investors said. “The non-payment of Wednesday was a strategic default and was not driven by the inability to make the payment,” said Charles Blitzer, a Washington-based consultant who’s advising a group of creditors that hold the majority of the bonds. “This…

Mozambique to Miss Coupon Payment on Eurobond, Ministry Says

Posted on by The Editorial Team

MAPUTO (Capital Markets in Africa) – Mozambique will miss an interest payment on dollar bonds this week because of its deteriorating fiscal position. The government’s capacity to make debt payments is “extremely limited in 2017, and does not allow the republic room to make the scheduled interest payment on the notes,” the Ministry of Economy and Finance said in an e-mailed statement on Monday. Mozambique is in talks with the International Monetary Fund about resuming…

South African President Won’t Accept Third ANC Leader Term

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JOHANNESBURG (Capital Markets in Africa) – South African President Jacob Zuma said he won’t accept a nomination for a third term as head of the country’s ruling party, which is “ready” for a woman to take over the leadership. The 105-year-old African National Congress will choose a new president at a national conference in December when Zuma’s term ends. His ex-wife and the outgoing African Union chairwoman, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, and ANC Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa are seen as frontrunners for the position. …

Foreigners Dump S. African Stocks in Longest Streak for 5 Months

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JOHANNESBURG (Capital Markets in Africa) – Foreigners were net sellers of South African stocks for the first four days of this week, the longest sequence in almost five months, as they reduced holdings in companies including some of the country’s largest retailers. Retailers Shoprite Holdings Ltd., Mr. Price Group Ltd., and Woolworths Holdings Ltd. were among stocks most heavily sold by foreign investors, along with Richemont, Naspers Ltd. and MTN Group Ltd., figures from Johannesburg’s stock…

Cash Is King in Mugabe’s Zimbabwe as Dollar Supply Dries Up

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HARARE (Capital Markets in Africa) – Walk into Pedzai Nyika’s furniture factory in Zimbabwe’s capital and he’ll offer a 20 percent discount straight away — provided you pay in cash. He’s not alone. A shortage of banknotes gripping the southern African nation has become so dire that business are offering huge discounts to cash-paying customers and limiting the amounts they can charge on credit cards or refusing to accept them altogether. “I am desperate. Business is…

Mozambique May Defaults on Eurobond Next Week, JPMorgan Says

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MAPUTO (Capital Markets in Africa) – Mozambique is “highly unlikely” to pay a $60 million coupon on January 18, JPMorgan Chase & Co. said, sending the government’s Eurobond tumbling closer to an all-time low. The $727 million of notes due in January 2023 fell 3.2 percent to 57.999 cents on the dollar as of 2:12 p.m. in London, trading less than 2 cents away from an all-time low. The yield rose 90 basis points to 24.05…

Zimbabwe beats Q1 tax target but company tax, mining royalties fall

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HARARE (Reuters) – Zimbabwe’s tax collections were five percent above target at $897 million during the first quarter of this year but revenue from companies and mining royalties fell, the head of the national tax agency said on Sunday. Zimbabwe finances its entire budget from taxes because lenders like the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank have said they will only resume lending to the country once it clears its debts with the global…

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