Cryptocurrencies Under Pressure After Bitcoin Dips Below $6,000

Cryptocurrencies Under Pressure After Bitcoin Dips Below $6,000

LONDON (Capital Markets in Africa) – The rout in cryptocurrencies rolled on, sending Bitcoin to its lowest level since October, as worries over tighter regulation by U.S. authorities and central bankers elsewhere gave traders fresh reasons to exit after a brutal start to 2018. The selloff has now knocked about half a trillion dollars from digital coins since early January. That’s shaken a nascent market whose core attraction — anonymity and decentralization — is being challenged as never before…

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Egypt Economy: Four Tailwinds for Economic Growth in 2018

Egypt Economy: Four Tailwinds for Economic Growth in 2018

CAIRO (Capital Markets in Africa) – Egypt’s economy took a battering after the revolution of 2011, with annual growth declining to 3.1% in 2011-16 from an average of 6.2% in 2005-10. But the economy should recover in 2018, helped by four tailwinds: declining inflation, lower interest rates, recovering tourism and gas production from a new field. Egypt’s macroeconomic conditions were dire in 2016. Foreign currency was in short supply, resulting in the emergence of a…

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Investec’s Koseff, Kantor Step Down After 40 Years at Helm

Investec’s Koseff, Kantor Step Down After 40 Years at Helm

JOHANNESBURG (Capital Markets in Africa) – Investec Plc Chief Executive Officer Stephen Koseff and Managing Director Bernard Kantor will step down in October after 40 years of building a small leasing company in Johannesburg to one managing more than 154 billion pounds ($215 billion) in assets. Glynn Burger, group risk and finance director and also one of the “founding members” of Investec, will retire at the end of March next year, the Johannesburg- and London-based specialist bank and asset…

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South Africa JSE 40 Falls 1.8% to 49,580.21; Naspers Leads

South Africa JSE 40 Falls 1.8% to 49,580.21; Naspers Leads

JOHANNESBURG (Capital Markets in Africa) – The FTSE/JSE Africa Top40 Tradeable Index fell for the ninth day, dropping 1.8 percent, or 916.09 to 49,580.21. The index dropped to the lowest level since Sept. 29. The MSCI Emerging Markets Europe, Middle East and Africa Index declined 2.1 percent. Naspers Ltd. contributed the most to the decline and had the biggest loss, decreasing 4.3 percent. The biggest movers also included: Anglo American, down 3.7 percent; and Standard Bank, down 3.4 percent….

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Egyptian Exchange EGX 30 Price Index Falls 2.5%; COMI EC Leads

Egyptian Exchange EGX 30 Price Index Falls 2.5%; COMI EC Leads

CAIRO (Capital Markets in Africa) – The Egyptian Exchange EGX 30 Price Index fell 2.5 percent to 14,583.85. The move was the biggest since falling 2.7 percent on October 16 and follows the previous session’s increase of 0.6 percent. The MSCI Emerging Markets Europe, Middle East and Africa Index declined 2.9 percent. Commercial International Bank Egypt SAE contributed the most to the decline, falling 2.8 percent. Pioneers Holding for Financial Investments SAE decreased 7.4 percent, the biggest loss. The…

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Futuregrowth Unmoved on Lending as Eskom Eyes Bond Market

Futuregrowth Unmoved on Lending as Eskom Eyes Bond Market

JOHANNESBURG (Capital Markets in Africa) – South Africa’s biggest specialist fixed-income money manager says it’s not quite ready to resume lending to the cash-strapped state electricity company. Cape Town-based Futuregrowth Asset Management, which oversees about 177 billion rand ($15 billion), halted lending to Eskom Holdings SOC Ltd. in 2016, citing concerns over governance and financial management. While the publication of overdue financial statements this week was a step in the right direction, Futuregrowth’s position hasn’t…

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Opposition Fortunes Wane as Tanzania President Rules Supreme

Opposition Fortunes Wane as Tanzania President Rules Supreme

DAR ES SALAAM (Capital Markets in Africa) – Two years into his rule, Tanzanian President John Magufuli has some unexpected new fans: his political opponents. His chief rival in the 2015 vote, Edward Lowassa, has praised his reforms and urged others to support them. Another challenger became one of his regional commissioners, while two opposition lawmakers recently defected to the ruling party and will run as candidates in February by-elections. These could be signs that Magufuli, who’s nicknamed…

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