The Editorial Team |

Oil producer Afren defaults on 2016 bonds

March 4 (Reuters) – Debt-laden oil producer Afren Plc has defaulted on its 2016 bonds after declining to make a $15 million interest payment in order to preserve cash pending completion of a review of its capital structure. The company said any restructuring or additional funding deal with bondholders could result in the issue of new equity, which would “substantially dilute the interests of the company’s current shareholders”. Afren’s shares fell as much as 50…

Egypt Walks a Fine Line With Interest Rate Strategy

Posted on by The Editorial Team

In January, the cash-strapped Arab state surprised the market with interest-rate cuts aimed at stimulating the troubled economy. At its latest monetary policy meeting the central bank again caused surprise, but this time it was by keeping rates steady. Analysts had expected a different decision. In a note published ahead of the central bank meeting last week Emirates NBD, Dubai’s biggest bank, noted that Egypt’s core consumer price index had dropped to nearly a two-year…

Fitch says South Africa’s budget highlights deficit challenges

Posted on by The Editorial Team

Fitch director for sovereigns Carmen Altenkirch said the rating agency had previously highlighted that weak economic growth and a failure to boost potential growth were a negative rating trigger. The outlook for public finances would form an important part of Fitch’s next scheduled review of SA’s sovereign ratings on June 5, the agency said on Thursday. Ms Altenkirch said Fitch’s sovereign credit rating for SA of BBB with a negative outlook recognised economic growth and…

Mining for liquidity in Africa’s stock exchanges

Posted on by The Editorial Team

Improvements in political and macroeconomic stability, policy certainty and legal systems in many African countries, as well as Africa’s growing middle class and rise in consumption, continue to raise the bar on foreign interest in Africa as an investment destination – as GDP growth (as a whole) averages at six percent for three consecutive years*. Yet, Africa hasn’t reached its potential share of investment in extractive service. In fact, the UNCTAD has revealed that although…

Why it’s crucial to know your trading environment

Posted on by The Editorial Team

MARKETS will usually experience three types of market condition: downtrend, uptrend or ranging. Knowing which trading environment you are in can save you money and time. This is because the technical analysis tools and systems investors use will act differently depending on the market environment. Working with breakouts, in strong trending markets a sloppy entry might work, as the trend will eventually lift price beyond your entry. Using the same technique in a flat market,…

Reduce the unbanked in Nigeria

Posted on by The Editorial Team

Nigerian banking continues to face significant headwinds – in relation to both revenue and costs. It may seem as though the banking industry shrunk between 2004 and 2014 due to massive consolidation in the market, however, these mergers and acquisitions (M&A’s) actually represented approximately 60% of the organic growth for the remaining (stronger) banks. As a result, the quality of service and customer experience is shaping the competitive landscape – where those clearly ahead of…

What significant non-mining infrastructure projects are underway in Africa?

Posted on by The Editorial Team

A well-worn argument postulates that infrastructure spending in Africa is focused on resources due to many countries remaining very dependent on the export of minerals and hydrocarbons. But this is no longer the case. GDP per capita levels in many African countries have climbed past the critical US$1,000 level – enabling consumers to purchase more than just the basics. Urbanization has also been an important factor to contend with: Africa had 22 cities with more than…

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