The Markets

JOHANNESBURG (Capital Markets in Africa) – Shares of Discovery Ltd. dropped to their lowest level since October 2017 after the South African financial-services company said first-half earnings will decline after investments into new initiatives soared. The owner of a wellness loyalty program that stretches from China to the U.S. is expanding into banking and commercial insurance to tap deeper into its existing customer base to boost income. Spending on new projects in the six months through December…

NAIROBI (Capital Markets in Africa) – There’s been a momentum shift in Kenya’s share market and it’s propelled Nairobi stocks to their best start to the year since 2013. After largely avoiding equities for the past two years in favor of the fixed-income market, local money managers are back buying stocks and in large-enough volumes to outweigh persistent foreign outflows. The benchmark stock index has jumped 16 percent in response, the best in the world in 2019 after Argentina…

JOHANNESBURG (Capital Markets in Africa) – South African stocks are heading for the best weekly rally since Jan. 11, but don’t be fooled by the apparent momentum. The path of least resistance leads down. The benchmark FTSE/JSE Africa All Share Index has added 2.1 percent in the past five days, with its 50-day moving average looking to cross above the 100-day mean. That’s made equities look resilient even as a crisis at the state-owned power utility Eskom fuels…

ACCRA (Capital Markets in Africa) – Tullow Oil Plc will pay a dividend for the first time since 2014 after returning to profit last year. “The board has decided to recommend a final dividend of 4.8 cents a share, representing a total shareholder return of about $67 million,” the oil producer said in its 2018 results statement. The payback follows success in cutting debt and reflects increased confidence after drilling in Guyana was brought forward. “We take…

LAGOS (Capital Markets in Africa) – Lagos stocks extended their winning streak to the longest since July 2017 before this weekend’s election, as investors stepped up their bets on a market-pleasing outcome. The benchmark Nigerian Stock Exchange Main-Board Index climbed 2.1 percent Tuesday, its best performance this year, rising for an eighth consecutive day to the highest in almost four months. Dangote Flour Mills Plc, Jaiz Bank Plc, Livestock Feeds Plc and NPF Microfinance Bank…

LAGOS (Capital Markets in Africa) – The recent rally in Nigerian assets may pick up steam if there’s a change in government after this weekend’s presidential election, according to lenders and money managers including AllianceBernstein LP and Citigroup Inc. The main equity index in Africa’s biggest oil producer has risen for eight straight days. But its 3.3 percent gain in 2019 is still less than half the 8.4 percent jump for MSCI’s gauge of emerging-market stocks and 7.5 percent…