The Markets | - Part 113

Blood Gold’ Crackdown May Imperil Small Miners It Seeks to Help

LAGOS (Capital Markets in Africa) – New rules designed to prioritize safety for many of the world’s most vulnerable gold miners may in fact put their livelihoods at risk. When his fellow miners winch him up from the hole in the desert, Keith Gushure is covered in mud. Gushure, 21, holds a pick and a hammer. For the past 18 hours he’s been trying to chip, gouge and pry gold out of the 56-foot (17-meter)…

Battered Bitcoin Miners Seen Shutting Down as Losses Pile Up

Posted on by The Editorial Team

LAGOS (Capital Markets in Africa) – Bitcoin miners hit hard by the cryptocurrency’s crash may be throwing in the towel. The Bitcoin network’s hash rate, one way of gauging the computing power dedicated to mining the digital currency, dropped about 24 percent from an all-time high at the end of August through Nov. 24, according to Blockchain.com. While the decline may have partially resulted from miners switching to other cryptocurrencies, JPMorgan Chase & Co. says some in…

Bitcoin’s Deepening Crash Now Approaches Its Worst Bear Markets

Posted on by The Editorial Team

LAGOS (Capital Markets in Africa) – Bitcoin broke below $4,000 and extended its 2018 crash to within striking distance of the biggest cryptocurrency’s worst bear markets. The virtual currency conceived just over a decade ago slid as much as 14 percent to $3,675 on Monday, bringing its decline from last December’s record high of almost $20,000 to about 80 percent. All nine of its largest peers tracked in real time by Bloomberg fell, with drops ranging as high as 21…

Cocoa Crisis Hits Top Grower’s Exporters as Banks Curb Loans

Posted on by The Editorial Team

LAGOS (Capital Markets in Africa) – Domestic shippers in the world’s top cocoa producer are losing market share to foreign-backed competitors as exporters become ensnared in the fallout of the liquidation of Saf-Cacao. Cocoa shippers in Ivory Coast are struggling to raise finance for the buying and storing of beans as lenders curb their exposure to the sector. Stung by about 150 billion CFA francs ($261 million) in unpaid debts by Saf-Cacao, formerly one of the biggest cocoa exporters…

Kenya to Allow Commercial Farmers to Lease Idle Government Land

Posted on by The Editorial Team

NAIROBI (Capital Markets in Africa) – Kenya, where agriculture contributes a third of gross domestic product, will allow commercial farmers to lease idle government land as the state tries to improve food security. The Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation will publish the terms that will allow farmers to plant on idle government as it seeks to maximize use in a country where only 20 percent to the land mass is arable, Deputy President William Ruto said Friday…

Nigeria’s $2.86 Billion Eurobond Offers More But Gets Less

Posted on by The Editorial Team

LAGOS (Capital Markets in Africa) – Nigeria’s sale of $2.86 billion eurobonds failed to attract as much interest as previous issues even though it offered yields that were considerably higher. Friday’s offering in London, issued in three tranches, attracted bids of $9.5 billion for notes with yields as high as 8.75 percent and 9.25 percent for two of the tranches. Earlier this year a $2.5 billion, two-tranche offering of 12- and 20-year securities, yielding 7.14 percent…

The Worst Probably Isn’t Over for Kenya’s Shilling. Here’s Why

Posted on by The Editorial Team

NAIROBI (Capital Markets in Africa) – Even though Kenya’s shilling depreciated for the last six weeks to the weakest since January, the worst may be yet to come. High government spending may heap pressure on the shilling. Kenya’s fiscal deficit this year is forecast by the International Monetary Fund to be 6.6 percent of gross domestic product. Among the region’s Eurobond nations, only Zambia’s is higher. If the deficit widens, Kenya’s relatively low interest rates…

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