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Global Private Equity & Venture Capital Investment in 2014

Private equity fundraising down 9% to $486bn in 2014Preliminary figures released by research provider Preqin indicate that global private equity fundraising reached $485.7bn in 2014, constituting a drop of 8.7% from $532bn in 2013. Prequin expects the fundraising figure for 2014 to increase by 10% to 20% as more information becomes available. On a quarterly basis, 253 private equity funds raised $110bn in the first quarter 2014, 276 funds secured $153bn in the second quarter,…

S&P may reduce Nigeria Credit Ratings

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S&P may cuts Nigeria Credit RatingsStandard & Poor’s Ratings Services put Nigeria’s credit ratings on watch for potential downgrade following the fall in oil prices and continued political instability according to S&P’s analysts led by Ravi Bhatia wrote in the statement: “Political risks also remain significant”. Nigeria is the latest country that S&P has docked for reasons related to oil. Its BB-rating is three notches below investment-grade territory. In light of the months long oil slump,…

How To Get Private Equity Exits in Africa Right

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Private equity (PE) as an asset class has received reasonable prominence in Africa in recent times. New records are being set both at the levels of fund raising and sector diversity of investments. Africa is becoming increasingly investor-friendly. The attraction of PE to Africa is driven largely by many factors such as: the huge market size – Africa is home to over 1 billion people; relatively young population – about 60% are below 40 years…

Real Forex Volume: The new kid on the trading block

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AT TIMES, trading is an information arms race, where the traders with the best knowledge and the discipline to stick to their ideas tend to do better than those who trade on a whim. With this in mind, traders may be interested to hear that FX brokers have started to share their trading volume in real time. Such information was previously only revealed on exchange-traded products, like shares. Using examples from the stock markets, traders…

Elections in Nigeria: What businesses need to know

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High stakes elections in NigeriaAt the best of times, elections in Nigeria tend to be unsettling events accompanied by sporadic outbreaks of violence and rising inflation. Will the February 14 general elections be any different?Against the backdrop of slumping oil prices, Boko Haram’s worsening insurgency, and the rising chasm between north and south, the upcoming elections risk derailing Nigeria from its positive growth trajectory. However, the world should not underestimate Nigeria’s ability to muddle through…

Nigerian Equity: When and What to Buy/Sell

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The Nigerian Stock Exchange, Lagos, Nigeria The markets are strongly correlated to global crude oil prices and explains the sustained sell-off we have witnessed in the markets. Crude oil accounts for 75% of the country’s revenue and 95% of foreign exchange. With prices falling, reserves are under pressure and the ability of the CBN to continue to stabilize the naira is at risk. The capital markets are largely driven by foreign portfolio investors who account…

Egyptian pound under pressure

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Recent FX reserve losses highlight that external pressures on Egyptian pounds ( EGP) have not yet materially abated. But still, it is anticipated that Central Bank of Egypt (CBE) will keep EGP stable in the run-up to the March Economic Summit. Mobilizing enough GCC external aid and international investments will likely be crucial to support EGP further out, given the still large external funding needs and the upcoming parliamentary elections. Political economy matters suggest EGP…

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