Kenyan Politics Limbo Hinders Central Bank on Currency Risk

Kenyan Politics Limbo Hinders Central Bank on Currency Risk

NAIROBI (Capital Markets in Africa) – On Monday, Kenya’s central bank may have little choice but to do what the rest of the country is stuck with: waiting for a rerun of its presidential election. With political limbo reigning since the Supreme Court’s annulment of the previous attempt at a national vote on Aug. 8, officials are left contemplating the effects of prolonged uncertainty on an economy that also faces slowing growth and persistent inflation….

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South Africa Central Bank Says Graft Ombudsman Met Zuma Lawyers

South Africa Central Bank Says Graft Ombudsman Met Zuma Lawyers

JOHANNESBURG (Capital Markets in Africa) – The country’s graft ombudsman used a probe into an apartheid-era bailout of a lender to attack the South African Reserve Bank and didn’t disclose a meeting with lawyers in President Jacob Zuma’s office to discuss the investigation before its findings were released, the central bank said. Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane instructed lawmakers in a June 19 report to amend the constitution to make the bank focus on the “socioeconomic well-being of the citizens”…

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Namibia Cuts Rate for First Time in 5 Years as Inflation Slows

Namibia Cuts Rate for First Time in 5 Years as Inflation Slows

WINDHOEK (Capital Markets in Africa) – Namibia’s central bank reduced its key rate for the first time since 2012 as consumer prices rose at the slowest pace in almost two years last month and the economy contracts. The Monetary Policy Committee reduced the repo rate by 25 basis points to 6.75 percent, Bank of Namibia Deputy Governor Ebson Uanguta told reportersWednesday in capital, Windhoek. Inflation in the southwest African nation, the world’s biggest producer of marine diamonds, was 5.4…

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South Africa Court Scraps Bid to Alter Central Bank Role

South Africa Court Scraps Bid to Alter Central Bank Role

JOHANNESBURG (Capital Markets in Africa) – South Africa’s High Court scrapped a bid by the nation’s anti-graft ombudsman to change the central bank’s inflation-targeting mandate. The Public Protector’s instruction that lawmakers should start a process to change the constitution and amend the Reserve Bank’s mandate is set aside, Judge Cynthia Pretorius said in a ruling. The judgment removes the risk of politicians interfering in the functioning of the central bank and may ease concerns about…

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Zambia Central Bank Reduces Key Rate to Lowest Since 2014

Zambia Central Bank Reduces Key Rate to Lowest Since 2014

LUSAKA (Capital Markets in Africa) -Zambia’s central bank cut its benchmark lending rate for a third time this year as inflation remained below the government’s target. The Bank of Zambia lowered the rate to 11 percent from 12.5 percent, Governor Denny Kalyalya told reporters Thursday in Lusaka, the capital. That’s the lowest level since February 2014. The southern African nation’s consumer inflation rate is near the lowest since 2013, with this year’s record harvest of corn, which is used to make…

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Kenya’s Central Bank Holds rate at 10.0 percent, Likely to Sell Dollars

Kenya’s Central Bank Holds rate at 10.0 percent, Likely to Sell Dollars

NAIROBI (Capital Markets In Africa) – At its Monetary Policy Committee meeting this month, Kenya’s central bank held its rate at 10.0 percent. Its Monetary Policy Committee will next meet to set lending rates on Sept.18. While the currencies of Kenya, Nigeria and Tanzania are expected to hold steady, traders said Uganda’s shilling and Zambia’s kwacha are forecast to weaken against the dollar in the next week to Thursday, while Ghana’s cedi will firm. KENYA…

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Nigeria Holds Key Rate at 14% as It Seeks Currency Stability

Nigeria Holds Key Rate at 14% as It Seeks Currency Stability

LAGOS (Capital Markets in Africa) – Nigeria’s central bank left its main lending rate unchanged for a sixth consecutive meeting as it seeks to hold on to gains it’s made in inflation and exchange-rate stability. The Monetary Policy Committee held the key policy rate at 14 percent, Central Bank of Nigeria Governor Godwin Emefiele told reporters on Tuesday in the capital, Abuja. That was in line with the forecast of all but two of 19 economists in a Bloomberg survey. While inflation in…

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