Kenya Stares at Bleak 2018 Outlook in Vote Mess Aftermath

Kenya Stares at Bleak 2018 Outlook in Vote Mess Aftermath

NAIROBI (Capital Markets in Africa) – Kenya is facing an economic storm in 2018 in the aftermath of two disputed elections. Saddled with the triple threat of austerity measures to pay for those votes, slowing credit growth and new accounting rules for banks, Kenya now risks missing the government’s forecast for 6 percent economic growth next year, according to lenders including Nairobi-based Stanbic Bank Kenya Ltd. Investec Bank Ltd. strategist Chris Becker says expansion could slow to as…

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Nigerian Inflation Slows for Ninth Straight Month in October

Nigerian Inflation Slows for Ninth Straight Month in October

LAGOS (Capital Markets in Africa) – Nigerian consumer inflation slowed marginally for a ninth consecutive month in October as food-price growth stayed above 20 percent. The inflation rate in Africa’s most-populous nation fell to 15.91 percent from 15.98 percent in September, the Abuja-based National Bureau of Statistics said in an e-mailed report on Tuesday. The median of 12 economists’ estimates compiled by Bloomberg was 15.9 percent. Prices rose 0.8 percent in the month. On Nov….

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Malawi Sees at Least 5.5% Growth This Year; Plans Power Boost

Malawi Sees at Least 5.5% Growth This Year; Plans Power Boost

LILONGWE (Capital Markets in Africa) – Malawi’s economy will expand at least 5.5 percent this year as the country recovers from a drought that ravaged crops throughout southern Africa, President Peter Mutharika said. The country also plans to bolster its power-generating capacity in the next decade, using a $200 million World Bank loan to help to raise the generation to 2,500 megawatts from 350 megawatts now, he told lawmakers Friday in the capital, Lilongwe. Of the current installed…

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Commodity prices likely to rise further in 2018: World Bank

Commodity prices likely to rise further in 2018: World Bank

LAGOS (Capital Markets in Africa) – Oil prices are forecast to rise to $56 a barrel in 2018 from $53 this year as a result of steadily growing demand, agreed production cuts among oil exporters and stabilizing U.S. shale oil production, while the surge in metals prices is expected to level off next year, the World Bank said on Thursday. Prices for energy commodities – which include oil, natural gas, and coal — are forecast…

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Moody’s: Senegal’s credit profile balances economic and political stability

Moody’s: Senegal’s credit profile balances economic and political stability

DAKAR (Capital Markets in Africa) –  Moody’s Investors Service (“Moody’s”) said in a report today, the Government of Senegal’s (Ba3 stable) credit profile is supported by its record of macroeconomic and political stability and policy aimed at improving economic governance and infrastructure. High government debt represents the country’s main source of credit challenges. The annual update, “Government of Senegal — Ba3 Stable, Annual credit analysis”, is now available on www.moodys.com. Moody’s subscribers can access this…

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South African Jobless Rate at 14-Year High as Economy Stalls

South African Jobless Rate at 14-Year High as Economy Stalls

JOHANNESBURG (Capital Markets in Africa) – South Africa’s jobless remained at a 14-year high in the third quarter as the continent’s most-industrialized economy staged a weak recovery from a recession. The unemployment rate was 27.7 percent, matching the previous two quarters’ figures, Statistics South Africa said in a report released on Tuesday in Cape Town. The economy expanded 2.5 percent in the three months ended June 30, exiting its second recession in almost a decade…

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Kenyan Inflation Rate at 17-Month Low as Food-Cost Growth Slows

Kenyan Inflation Rate at 17-Month Low as Food-Cost Growth Slows

NAIROBI (Capital Markets in Africa) – Kenyan inflation slowed to a 17-month low in October as food-price growth decelerated and demand was hamstrung by political uncertainty. Consumer prices rose 5.7 percent from a year earlier, compared with 7.1 percent in September, the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics said Tuesday in an emailed statement from the capital, Nairobi. Costs decreased 0.6 percent in the month. The economy of the world’s largest shipper of black tea has been hit…

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