The Editorial Team |

South African Bond Traders Have Bigger Fish to Fry Than Inflation

JOHANNESBURG (Capital Markets in Africa) – South African bonds were little moved by faster-than-forecast inflation data on Wednesday, suggesting traders are holding steady before Finance Minister Malusi Gigaba’s fiscal update next week. The yield on the rand-denominated 10-year government bond was up less than two basis points at 8.76 percent after a report showed annual consumer-price growth accelerated for a second month in September. The move was pale in comparison with Tuesday’s 10 basis-point jump following a surprise…

Rio, Ex-CEO Face Fraud Charges on $3.7 Billion Coal Calamity

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LAGOS (Capital Markets in Africa) – Rio Tinto Group’s calamitous $3.7 billion coal deal in Mozambique, involving a plan to barge the fuel hundreds of kilometres down the Zambezi River, keeps coming back to haunt the world’s second-biggest miner — already grappling with another African misadventure. U.S. authorities filed fraud charges against London-based Rio, former Chief Executive Officer Tom Albanese and ex-Chief Financial Officer Guy Elliott, claiming they inflated the value of the coal assets acquired in 2011. The unit…

Nigeria’s SEC to Investigate Oando for Possible Insider Dealing

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LAGOS (Capital Markets in Africa) – The Nigerian Securities and Exchange Commission ordered an insider-trading investigation into Oando Plc and suspended dealing in the energy company’s shares. A comprehensive review of Lagos-based Oando also found discrepancies in its shareholding structure and related-party transactions that were not done “at arm’s length,” the regulator said in an emailed statement on Wednesday. Alero Balogun, a spokeswoman for Oando, said she couldn’t immediately comment on the allegations when contacted by…

Bosch May Not Derail VW Dealers’ $4 Billion Defeat Device Suit

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BERLIN (Capital Markets in Africa) – A federal judge was sceptical of Robert Bosch GmbH’s arguments that it shouldn’t have to face racketeering and corruption claims by more than 600 Volkswagen AG dealerships over its role in the emissions-cheating scandal. U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer in San Francisco rejected Bosch’s argument that dealers only suffered “contingent and speculative” injuries. The racketeering claims could result in triple damages — as much as $4 billion — if the dealers can prove Bosch…

Online Fashion Retailer Zalando Warns It May Have Had Loss

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BERLIN (Capital Markets in Africa) – Zalando SE, Europe’s largest online retailer, warned it may have become unprofitable in the third quarter after spending more to gain market share as Amazon.com Inc. encroaches into its territory. Zalando may have had a loss before interest and taxes of as much as 5 million euros ($6 million) on an adjusted basis, according to a preliminary calculation, the Berlin-based company said Wednesday. The company gave a range for results where the top end…

Merkel Faces `Divided’ Germany as Talks on Coalition Begin

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BERLIN (Capital Markets in Africa) – Angela Merkel is facing pressure to put her stamp on Germany’s next government as the chancellor begins talks on uniting four disparate parties into a coalition to govern Europe’s biggest economy. Almost a month after her Christian Democratic-led bloc emerged weakened from a national election, Merkel meets separately with the pro-market Free Democratic Party and the Greens on Wednesday to sound out the potential for a pact on cabinet posts and policy….

U.S. Treasury Keeps Currency Spotlight on Swiss, Germans

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BERLIN (Capital Markets in Africa) – The U.S. Treasury once again singled out Switzerland and Germany for the value of their currencies and exports, suggesting the former could cut interest rates further to alleviate deflationary pressures. While the department said no major trading partner was manipulating its currency to gain an advantage, it kept the two on the list of countries it considers to have a big trade surplus with the U.S., a high current-account surplus or to…

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