Finance | - Part 111

Metals Power Higher as Sickly Dollar Spurs Copper-to-Gold Rally

LAGOS (Capital Markets in Africa) – Copper jumped by the most in two months and zinc hit a fresh decade-high as base metals rallied on a potent combination of a softer dollar, dwindling inventories and continued robust outlook for demand. Palladium rallied to a new record as all precious metals climbed. Copper surged as much as 2.1 percent, the most since Nov. 13, to $7,262 a metric ton on the London Metal Exchange. All metals climbed as the Bloomberg…

Why South Africa’s Steinhoff Could Be Next Enron: QuickTake Q&A

Posted on by The Editorial Team

JOHANNESBURG (Capital Markets in Africa) – It could wind up being South Africa’s version of the Enron accounting scandal. Furniture retailer Steinhoff International Holdings NVcaptivated investors by growing into a global force, latterly under its former chairman, billionaire Christo Wiese. Now it’s drawing attention for all the wrong reasons. Shares in Steinhoff crashed 80 percent in two days after the company reported accounting irregularities. Wiese stepped down, Chief Executive Officer Markus Jooste resigned and the company is looking for leniency…

Drug-Deal Bitcoins Lead to $940,000 Gain for Berlin Prosecutors

Posted on by The Editorial Team

LAGOS (Capital Markets in Africa) – Crime may not always pay for criminals, but fighting it does sometimes. Berlin prosecutors are about to make 774,000 euros ($940,000) on 64 bitcoins they seized in drug deal in April of last year. When they froze the funds last year, bitcoins changed hands for $1,348 a piece, according to a composite of prices compiled by Bloomberg. On Friday, they were worth 10 times as much, trading at $13,755. The prosecutors estimate their…

Mnuchin Says U.S. Wants G-20 Crackdown on Bitcoin Secrecy

Posted on by The Editorial Team

LAGOS (Capital Markets in Africa) – U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said he will work with the Group of 20 nations to prevent cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin from becoming the digital equivalent of an anonymous Swiss bank account. Speaking to the Economic Club of Washington on Friday, he said wants to ensure “bad people cannot use these currencies to do bad things.” Under U.S. law, “if you have a wallet to own bitcoins, that company has the…

South African Steinhoff Unit Mulls Early Redemption of Bonds

Posted on by The Editorial Team

JOHANNESBURG (Capital Markets in Africa) – Steinhoff International Holdings NV said one of its South African units is considering an early redemption of all notes in issue as the global retailer struggles to stay afloat amid an accounting scandal. Steinhoff Services Ltd.’s redemption of securities issued under a 15 billion-rand ($1.2 billion) bond program will require pricing supplements to be amended and restated, the Frankfurt- and Johannesburg-listed company said in a statement after the market closed on Thursday….

Congo May More Than Double Tax on Critical Cobalt Supply

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KINSHASA (Capital Markets in Africa) – The Democratic Republic of Congo is preparing to more than double a tax on two-thirds of global cobalt supply, potentially increasing the cost of the critical battery metal just as the world begins to embrace electric vehicles. Congo, the world’s biggest cobalt producer, will increase the royalty miners pay on exports of the metal to 5 percent from 2 percent if it opts to categorize cobalt as a “strategic substance,” Mines Minister Martin…

Dogs of High-Yield Sovereign Debt Keep Winning Streak Alive

Posted on by The Editorial Team

LAGOS (Capital Markets in Africa) – Investing in the world’s highest-yielding debt has proven a winning strategy over the past decade. Last year was no exception. An equally weighted portfolio of bonds from the six highest-yielding emerging markets would have returned 19 percent in 2017 versus a 9.3 percent return for JPMorgan Chase & Co.’s benchmark index, according to Seaport Global Holdings LLC. It marked the eighth time in nine years the “mutts,” as fixed-income…

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