Nigerian Central Bank Leaves Key Lending Rate Unchanged at 14%

Nigerian Central Bank Leaves Key Lending Rate Unchanged at 14%

LAGOS (Capital Markets in Africa) – Nigeria left its policy rate unchanged for a third consecutive meeting to support growth in an economy at its weakest in more than two decades and in which inflation is accelerating. The Monetary Policy Committee held the benchmark interest rate at 14 percent, Governor Godwin Emefiele told reporters from the Abuja-based Central Bank of Nigeria on Tuesday. That was in line with the forecast of all 16 economists in a Bloomberg survey. Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari proposed…

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Libya’s NOC Says Oil Output Is at Three-Year High and Rising

Libya’s NOC Says Oil Output Is at Three-Year High and Rising

TRIPOLI (Capital Markets in Africa) – Libya is pumping 715,000 barrels a day of oil, the most since 2014, and is on track to keep boosting output this year as the country restores much of the production lost amid political chaos and conflict, the state oil company’s chairman said. Blockades at the North African state’s main oil ports have ended, and output may reach 1.25 million barrels a day by year-end of 2017, National Oil…

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Angola’s Sovereign Wealth Fund Plans to Finance Deep-Sea Port

Angola’s Sovereign Wealth Fund Plans to Finance Deep-Sea Port

LUANDA (Capital Markets in Africa) – Angola’s sovereign wealth fund committed $180 million to building a deep-sea port in a bid to boost trade as oil prices remain low. The port will include a 630-meter (2,070-foot) terminal, ship-repair facilities and a free-trade zone, Fundo Soberano de Angola, known by its Portuguese acronym FSDEA, said in an e-mailed statement on Tuesday, without saying where the port will be built. The commitment, which will lead to the creation of 20,000 jobs,…

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Goldman Hails Global Rebound as Currie Sees Commodity Demand

Goldman Hails Global Rebound as Currie Sees Commodity Demand

LONDON (Capital Markets in Africa) – Commodities will be supported in the months ahead by a global rebound spanning the U.S., Europe, and China that’s buttressing worldwide demand for raw materials, according to Goldman Sachs Group Inc. “We’re seeing a cyclical uptick in global economic activity and that’s driving demand, not only for oil but all commodities,” Jeffrey Currie, head of commodities research, said in Hong Kong on Tuesday. “That’s the core reason why we upgraded our outlook…

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South Africa’s Central Bank Keeps Benchmark Rate Unchanged

South Africa’s Central Bank Keeps Benchmark Rate Unchanged

JOHANNESBURG (Capital Markets in Africa) South Africa’s Reserve Bank kept borrowing costs unchanged for a fifth straight meeting even as inflation forecasts worsened. The Monetary Policy Committee unanimously decided to leave the benchmark repurchase rate at 7 percent, Governor Lesetja Kganyago told reporters Tuesday in the capital, Pretoria. That’s in line with the forecast of all 24 economists surveyed by Bloomberg. The key lending rate has remained unchanged since March after the MPC raised it by 200 basis points since 2014…

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Egypt Mulls Highest Borrowing Cost in 16 Years for Bond Sale

Egypt Mulls Highest Borrowing Cost in 16 Years for Bond Sale

CAIRO (Capital Markets in Africa) – Egypt is tapping investors in a sale of dollar-denominated bonds, offering to pay them the highest coupon since 2001 and its first venture into international capital markets since a currency devaluation in November.  Africa’s third-biggest economy is offering three maturities of debt, with an initial yield target between 7.625 percent and 7.875 percent on 10-year bonds, according to a person familiar with the matter who isn’t permitted to speak publicly…

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Kenya Banks Face New Row with Lawmakers over Deposits Plan

Kenya Banks Face New Row with Lawmakers over Deposits Plan

NAIROBI (Capital Markets in Africa) – A new row is brewing between Kenyan banks and parliament after a lawmaker proposed placing restrictions on deposits by state-owned companies, months after the state imposed a cap on lending rates. Kimani Ichung’wah, vice chairman of the Public Investments Committee, drafted a bill seeking to bar state-owned corporations from investing or depositing public funds with lenders in which the government has a stake of less than 20 percent. Ichung’wah declined to…

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