The following company announcements, scheduled economic indicators, debt and currency market
moves and political events may affect African markets on Thursday.
- - - - -
EVENTS:
*Tanzania Bureau of Statistics releases inflation data for
January
GLOBAL MARKETS
Asian shares flirted with six-week lows on Thursday as U.S.
bond yields crept up towards four-year highs as investors
fretted that low borrowing costs enjoyed by companies for
many years may be endangered by the threat of rising
inflation.
WORLD OIL PRICES
Oil prices eased on Thursday, taking Brent crude to a 2018
low, as soaring U.S. output undermined OPEC efforts to
tighten markets, although a North Sea pipeline outage and
record Chinese imports offered support.
EMERGING MARKETS
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AFRICA STOCKS
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SOUTH AFRICA MARKETS
South Africa's rand weakened on Wednesday in volatile trade
as markets awaited the outcome of talks between the ruling
African National Congress (ANC) leader Cyril Ramaphosa and
President Jacob Zuma over a transition of power.
NIGERIAA MTN GROUP
MTN Nigeria discussed plans to list on the Lagos
stock exchange at a board meeting on Wednesday and aims to
launch the IPO this year, a company source told
Reuters.
NIGERIA MARKETS
Nigerian bond yields rose across maturities on Wednesday
while stocks fell as global risk-off sentiment spread to
local assets, traders said.
NIGERIA TREASURY
Nigeria plans to redeem 762.5 billion naira ($2.5 billion)
worth of treasury bills from the proceeds of a planned $2.5
billion Eurobond, to lower borrowing costs for the
government, Finance Minister Kemi Adeosun said on
Wednesday.
NIGERIA GASOLINE
Nigeria's push to keep its citizens stocked with fuel is
drawing close to a million tonnes a month of gasoline from
Europe - including now on a rare Suezmax vessel booked by
Vitol.
NIGERIA INSECURITY
The Nigerian army on Wednesday said it will deploy troops to
improve security in central states where a spate of communal
violence has prompted criticism of President Muhammadu
Buhari.
KENYA MARKETS
The Kenyan shilling strengthened to hit a 20-month
high against the dollar on Wednesday supported by lacklustre
importer demand amid increased dollar supply from investors
buying government debt, traders said.
KENYA POLITICS
A top Kenyan newspaper published a fake death notice of a
prominent opposition financier on Wednesday, a bizarre error
that rights groups interpreted as another sign of an
anti-democratic slide.
KENYA OIL/TULLOW
Africa-focused oil and gas producer Tullow Oil swung
back into profit in 2017 after three years in the red, and
outlined plans to begin production in Kenya by as early as
2021.
UGANDA MARKETS
The Ugandan shilling was stable on Wednesday and was
forecast to ease due to dollar demand from energy and
manufacturing companies.
RWANDA BUDGET
Rwanda's government said on Wednesday it plans to sell
treasury bonds to raise extra cash for its fiscal 2017/18
budget, part of which it will spend on expanding the
national airline RwandAir.
ETHIOPIA INFLATION
Ethiopia's year-on-year inflation rate edged down to 13.4
percent in January, the statistics agency said on its
website.
MAURITIUS INFLATION
Mauritius' year-on-year inflation rate jumped
to 6.2 percent in January from 4.2 percent in the previous
month, the statistics office said on Thursday.
IVORY COAST EUROBOND
Ivory Coast expects to issue a Eurobond - its fourth in five
years - after first tapping the regional debt market to
raise funds to finance its 2018 budget, Finance Minister
Adama Kone told Reuters on Wednesday.
ZIMBABWE CENTRAL BANK
Zimbabwe is negotiating a $1.5 billion guarantee with
Afreximbank to ensure foreign investors' funds are
protected, central bank Governor John Mangudya said on
Wednesday.
MOZAMBIQUE POLITICS
Mozambique's president will propose constitutional changes
that redistribute power to the country's provinces, a move
aimed at securing a long-term peace agreement with the main
opposition party.
CONGO ECONOMY
Democratic Republic of Congo's Central Bank on Wednesday
raised its forecast for 2018 economic growth to 5.2 percent
from 5 percent last month, as the economy benefits from
higher prices for key exports including copper.
CONGO MINING
The Minister of Mines for Democratic Republic of Congo,
Martin Kabwelulu, declined on Wednesday to say whether
President Joseph Kabila had signed a new mining code into
law that the industry opposes because it will raise
royalties and taxes.
GUINEA POLITICS
At least five small children have died in a fire in Guinea
linked to post-election riots in a town in the centre of the
country, government officials said on Wednesday.
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