Bitcoin Loses Dazzle as Second-Tier Crypto Coins Catch Up

Bitcoin Loses Dazzle as Second-Tier Crypto Coins Catch Up

LAGOS (Capital Markets in Africa) – Bitcoin alternatives are closing the gap with the market leader after names like stellar and cardano became red hot as 2017 was closing. The biggest cryptocurrency’s share of market value has fallen to a record 36 percent from 56 percent a month ago, according to CoinMarketCap prices for coins and tokens. Stellar, designed for cross-border payments, has more than doubled in the first trading days of this year, achieving…

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Mauritius SEMDEX Rises 0.7% to 2,215.5; MCB Leads Advance

Mauritius SEMDEX Rises 0.7% to 2,215.5; MCB Leads Advance

PORT LOUIS (Capital Markets in Africa) – The Mauritius Stock Exchange Semdex Index rose 0.7 percent to 2,215.5. The move was the biggest since rising 1 percent on Dec. 18 and follows the previous session of less than one percent. The MSCI Emerging Markets Europe, Middle East and Africa Index advanced 0.3 percent. MCB Group Ltd. contributed the most to the advance, rising 0.7 percent. ENL Commercial Ltd. increased 3.9 percent, the biggest gain. Mauritian Eagle Insurance Co. Ltd….

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Tunisia SE Rises 0.9% to 6,257.24; Poulina Group Leads Advance

Tunisia SE Rises 0.9% to 6,257.24; Poulina Group Leads Advance

TUNIS (Capital Markets in Africa) – The Tunisia Stock Exchange Tunindex rose 0.9 percent to 6,257.24. The move was the biggest since rising 1.1 percent on Aug. 29 and follows the previous session’s decrease of 1.3 percent. The MSCI Emerging Markets Europe, Middle East and Africa Index was little changed, down 0.07 percent. Poulina Group contributed the most to the advance and had the biggest gain, increasing 5.3 percent. Servicom SA fell 3.2 percent, the biggest loss. The biggest movers also…

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Criminal Underworld Is Dropping Bitcoin for Another Currency

Criminal Underworld Is Dropping Bitcoin for Another Currency

LAGOS (Capital Markets in Africa) – Bitcoin is losing its luster with some of its earliest and most avid fans — criminals — giving rise to a new breed of virtual currency. Privacy coins such as monero, designed to avoid tracking, have climbed faster over the past two months as law enforcers adopt software tools to monitor people using bitcoin. A slew of analytic firms such as Chainalysis are getting better at flagging digital hoards linked…

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Politics Trumps Oil Recovery: A Guide to Mideast Markets in 2018

Politics Trumps Oil Recovery: A Guide to Mideast Markets in 2018

LAGOS (Capital Markets in Africa) – For as long as Gulf economies rely on oil, crude will be a factor in determining how investors trade regional markets. But right now, politics is king. In the past 12 months, tension between Saudi Arabia and Iran escalated, ties between Qatar and its neighbours were severed, rebels in Yemen fired rockets over Riyadh and Saudi Arabia started a crackdown on corruption that led to the arrest of high-profile…

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From Angola to Zimbabwe: Guide to Key Africa Markets in 2018

From Angola to Zimbabwe: Guide to Key Africa Markets in 2018

LAGOS (Capital Markets in Africa) – For bond investors, Africa was a happy hunting ground last year. Its local-currency and dollar securities easily outperformed those of emerging markets overall as investors piled into a continent offering high yields and starting to recover from the commodity bust of three years ago. But risks abound, among them policy tightening in advanced economies, local and global politics, weakening currencies and another fall in oil prices. And then there is…

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Steinhoff Gains as Retailer Plans to Restate 2015 Results

Steinhoff Gains as Retailer Plans to Restate 2015 Results

JOHANNESBURG (Capital Markets in Africa) – Shares of Steinhoff International Holdings NV rose after the South African retail giant said it will restate financial results going back as far as 2015 amid a probe into accounting irregularities. The stock jumped 27 percent to 5.90 rand by 9:56 a.m. in Johannesburg, the most on an intraday basis since Dec. 12. Shares in Steinhoff, whose retail empire includes France’s Conforama furniture chain and Poundland in the U.K., have slumped 87…

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