Deregulation With Price Controls. Precursor to Devaluation?

Deregulation With Price Controls. Precursor to Devaluation?

LAGOS, Nigeria, Capital Markets in Africa: Last week, the Federal Government finally took a step to pseudo-deregulate the downstream sector (the FGN refused to use the word deregulation). This initiative was expected due to the introduction of the price modulation template by the NNPC in January 2016 and also the 2016 budget had no provisions for petrol subsidy payments. Under the new framework, market players are now permitted to source FX independently of the CBN…

Read More

Oil Trades Near Seven-Month High as Supply Losses Tame Surplus

Oil Trades Near Seven-Month High as Supply Losses Tame Surplus

LAGOS, Nigeria, Capital Markets in Africa: Oil traded near a seven-month high on speculation that U.S. crude stockpiles declined last week while supply losses in Canada and Nigeria whittled away the global excess. West Texas Intermediate climbed as much as 1.5 percent in New York. U.S. crude inventories probably fell by 3.5 million barrels, according to a Bloomberg survey before government data Wednesday. It would be the first consecutive weekly decrease since September. Wildfires in Canada came to within a…

Read More

Senegal President Sall Says Nation Will Sell Bond This Year

Senegal President Sall Says Nation Will Sell Bond This Year

DAKAR, Senegal, Capital Markets in Africa: Senegalese President Macky Sall said his administration will tap the international bond market this year to fund infrastructure development and accelerate growth that’s being driven by surging peanut and rice production. The West African nation intends raising $500 million to $1 billion through the sale of a Eurobond, Sukuk or Samurai bonds, Sall said in a May 13 interview in Kigali, Rwanda’s capital, where the World Economic Forum held its annual…

Read More

Barclays Africa Mulls Investment-Bank Venture Post Parent’s Exit

Barclays Africa Mulls Investment-Bank Venture Post Parent’s Exit

Johannesburg, South Africa, Capital Markets in Africa: Barclays Africa Group Limited said it is considering a joint investment-banking venture with Barclays Plc as its London-based parent plans to further reduce its controlling stake. “At the corporate and investment bank the synergies provided a significant advantage,” Barclays Africa Chairwoman Wendy Lucas-Bull said at the Johannesburg-based bank’s annual general meeting on Tuesday. “We are looking at the issues business by business and at what the options are, like a joint venture.” Barclays sold…

Read More

Desperate for Dollars, Investors Line Up for a Sure-Fire Loser

Desperate for Dollars, Investors Line Up for a Sure-Fire Loser

CAIRO, Egypt, Capital Markets in Africa: The hot trade in Egypt’s stock market is a sure thing — a guaranteed money-loser. Clients have been snapping up shares of Commercial International Bank Egypt on the Cairo market, paying in Egyptian pounds, only to turn around and sell them in London for dollars at a loss of as much as 30 percent, brokers say. Big international companies are so desperate to get dollars that they’re willing to…

Read More

Congo Scales Back Eurobond Plans as It Seeks World Bank Help

Congo Scales Back Eurobond Plans as It Seeks World Bank Help

Kinshasa, DR Congo, Capital Markets in Africa: The Democratic Republic of Congo scaled back plans to sell $1 billion of Eurobonds and instead asked multilateral lenders for direct budgetary support after the collapse in commodity prices forced the government to cut spending. The World Bank will provide $250 million to $500 million of assistance, in addition to $100 million from the African Development Bank, pending a review in June by the International Monetary Fund of the country’s…

Read More

Sierra Leone Pension Fund Buying Government Debt as Rates Rise

Sierra Leone Pension Fund Buying Government Debt as Rates Rise

Freetown, Sierra Leone, Capital Markets in Africa: Sierra Leone’s state-owned pension fund is increasing its holdings of government debt after rates more than doubled this year on Treasury bills sold by the West African iron-ore and cocoa producer. The National Social Security and Insurance Trust, or Nassit, is also increasing the maturities of its fixed-income investments, Alpha Keita, head of the fund’s Treasury Investment Division, said in an interview in Freetown, the capital. Nassit holds 105…

Read More
1 904 905 906 907 908 1,076