Author: The Editorial Team

LAGOS (Capital Markets in Africa) – The gold rally fueled by the U.S.-China trade war is unleashing a growing wave of illegal miners who are increasingly pushing into fragile environments that range from Latin America’s Amazon to South Africa. Bullion has surged 18% over three months to the highest in six years. While that’s good news for mining companies, it’s spurring a burst of illegal prospecting that has helped fuel drug trafficking and organized crime within some of the…

JOHANNESBURG (Capital Markets in Africa) – Discovery Ltd. extended its slump in Johannesburg trading, dropping the most since December 2015, as some investors fretted over the outlook for the medical insurance administrator under South African plans to shake up the country’s health insurance system. Discovery fell as much as 11% Monday before paring the decline to 5% as of 1:47 p.m. At its lows for the session, Discovery was heading for its worst two-day plunge on record….

JOHANNESBURG (Capital Markets in Africa) – Moody’s Investors Service hasn’t said it, but investors already think it: South Africa’s credit is junk. The company, which rates South Africa’s debt Baa3, the lowest investment level, is due to review its assessment in November. Given Eskom Holdings SOC Ltd.’s financial woes and its implications for government debt, the market is pricing in a downgrade. These three charts show how traders view the country’s fiscal outlook: The premium…