Liberia Begins Counting Ballots After Peaceful End to Voting

Liberia Begins Counting Ballots After Peaceful End to Voting

MONROVIA (Capital Markets in Africa) – Election officials in Liberia started counting ballots after polling stations closed in presidential and parliamentary elections that regional observers said were conducted peacefully. Liberians chose a president to replace Nobel Peace Price laureate Ellen Johnson Sirleaf from among 20 candidates who include a retired soccer star, a former warlord and a wealthy chicken farmer. Voting ended at most stations from 6 p.m. on Tuesday, with the first official results expected to be released…

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Kenya Opposition Takes to Streets as Election Decision Looms

Kenya Opposition Takes to Streets as Election Decision Looms

NAIROBI (Capital Markets in Africa) – Kenyan police fired teargas at opposition supporters in two cities as the East African nation awaits the electoral commission’s response toRaila Odinga’s withdrawal from a presidential vote rerun that threatens a constitutional crisis. Demonstrators marched in the capital, Nairobi, and the western city of Kisumu to protest what Odinga said is the electoral commission’s failure to ensure that the new vote ordered by the Supreme Court will be fair….

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IMF Sees No `Substantive’ Zambian Aid-Deal Talks This Month

IMF Sees No `Substantive’ Zambian Aid-Deal Talks This Month

LUSAKA (Capital Markets in Africa) – The Zambian government and the International Monetary Fund won’t be holding meaningful discussions on a proposed $1.3-billion aid program at the Washington-based lender’s annual meetings this month after talks were put on hold in August. The nation’s Eurobond yields climbed. “IMF staff will be meeting the Zambian delegation at the IMF-World Bank annual meetings to discuss next steps,” Alfredo Baldini, the fund’s resident representative in Lusaka, Zambia’s capital, said in reply…

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Africa’s Economic Future Depends on Its Farmers

Africa’s Economic Future Depends on Its Farmers

LAGOS (Capital Markets in Africa) – When the economies of Nigeria and South Africa recently rebounded, it wasn’t oil or minerals that did the trick. It was agriculture. Faster and more sustainable agricultural growth is crucial not only to the continent’s economy, but also to its ability to feed and employ its surging population. Agriculture still accounts for a quarter of gross domestic product and as much as two-thirds of employment in sub-Saharan Africa. In fact, agricultural growth has the…

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World Bank Says Africa GDP Rebound Inadequate to Tackle Poverty

World Bank Says Africa GDP Rebound Inadequate to Tackle Poverty

LAGOS (Capital Markets in Africa) – The rebound in sub-Saharan Africa’s economic growth is insufficient to meaningfully reduce poverty, the World Bank said. Gross domestic product in the region will probably expand by 2.4 percent in 2017, the Washington-based lender said in an emailed copy of its Africa Pulse report on Wednesday. While that’s down from the World Bank’s April forecast of 2.6 percent, it’s an improvement on the two-decade low growth rate of 1.3…

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What to Watch for as Wall Street Reports Third-Quarter Results

What to Watch for as Wall Street Reports Third-Quarter Results

LAGOS (Capital Markets in Africa) – What to make of the surge in cryptocurrencies? Will the Trump administration’s tax-overhaul proposals find traction anytime soon? The biggest U.S. banks are about to show how much those uncertainties, and the slide in market volatility, affected third-quarter results and the lenders’ outlooks. JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Citigroup Inc. come first, on Thursday. Here are some likely takeaways: Trading Revenue Trading probably dropped from the same period a…

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Global Regulators Play Bitcoin Whack-a-Mole as Demand Explodes

Global Regulators Play Bitcoin Whack-a-Mole as Demand Explodes

LAGOS (Capital Markets in Africa) – Regulators worldwide are finding that it’s incredibly hard to control the explosive growth of money tied to no nation. Russian President Vladimir Putin is the latest to call for regulation of cryptocurrencies, saying there are “serious risks” they can be used for money laundering or tax evasion. Finance Minister Anton Siluanov has called for regulating digital money as securities, while central bank officials vowed to work with prosecutors to block websites…

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