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South Africa Central Bank to Fight `Unlawful’ Mandate Proposal

JOHANNESBURG (Capital Markets in Africa) – South Africa’s central bank accused the graft ombudsman of overreaching her powers and promised to fight a proposal to change the institution’s primary objective of protecting the value of the currency. “The Reserve Bank has consulted its legal team and has been advised that the remedial action prescribed by the Public Protector falls outside her powers and is unlawful,” the Pretoria-based central bank said in a statement on its website. Public…

Bank of England Governor’s Brexit Worries Mean BOE Chief in No Rush to Tighten

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LONDON (Capital Markets in Africa) – Mark Carney is still worried about the impact of Brexit on the economy and signalled he won’t be rushing to raise interest rates anytime soon. In his first major comments in six weeks, the Bank of England governor addressed weaknesses in the economy, saying that domestic inflation pressures remain subdued and wage growth is anemic. He also highlighted the level of uncertainty surrounding the U.K.’s talks to exit the European Union, saying he…

Uganda Cuts Key Rate to Record Low to Boost Sluggish Growth

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KAMPALA (Capital Markets in Africa) – Uganda’s central bank reduced its benchmark rate to the lowest since it was introduced in 2011 to boost an economy that’s projected to grow at the slowest pace in four years. The Monetary Policy Committee cut the key rate by 100 basis points to 10 percent, Bank of Uganda Governor Emmanuel Tumusiime-Mutebile told reporters Monday in the capital, Kampala. The central bank has reduced the rate by 700 basis points since the start of last…

Kenyan Central Bank Says Lenders Face New Era of Smaller Profits

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NAIROBI (Capital Markets in Africa) – Kenyan lenders must adjust their business models to adapt to a new era of lower profits as interest-rate caps curb investor returns, Central Bank of Kenya Governor Patrick Njoroge said. Return on equity in the Kenyan banking industry declined to 13.6 percent in March from 18.2 percent in June, Njoroge told reporters Tuesday in the capital, Nairobi. For the country’s biggest lenders, the drop was more severe, slumping to 23 percent…

Kenya central bank keeps benchmark rate at 10 percent

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NAIROBI (Capital Markets in Africa) – Kenya’s central bank kept its benchmark lending rate at 10.0 percent on Monday, the bank’s monetary policy committee said, a bid to reduce the threat of demand-driven inflation. Analysts polled by Reuters had predicted rates wouldn’t change. The government, which faces parliamentary, presidential and local elections in August, is struggling to contain high inflation, caused mostly by higher food prices. Kenya’s inflation rose to an annual 11.48 percent in…

South Africa Rate on Hold as Central Bank Warns of Rand Risk

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JOHANNESBURG (Capital Markets in Africa) – The South African Reserve Bank left its key rate unchanged for a seventh straight meeting as policy makers warned politics and ratings downgrades could still knock the rand and scupper an improving inflation outlook. The Monetary Policy Committee maintained the benchmark repurchase rate at 7 percent, Governor Lesetja Kganyago told reporters Thursday in the capital, Pretoria. The decision was in line with the estimates of all 21 economists in a Bloomberg…

In surprise move, Egypt central bank hikes key interest rates

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CAIRO (Capital Markets in Africa) – Egypt’s central bank raised its key interest rates by 200 basis points on Sunday, confounding the expectations of economists who saw rates unlikely to change, but in line with recent IMF statements. At a meeting of its Monetary Policy Committee, the bank hiked its overnight deposit rate to 16.75 percent from 14.75 percent and its overnight lending rate to 17.75 from 15.75 percent, it announced in a statement. This…

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