The Markets | - Part 128

Libyan Forces Hand Oil Ports to East-Based Energy Company

TRIPOLI (Capital Markets in Africa) – Forces of Libyan Commander Khalifa Haftar handed control of oil ports in the east of the divided nation to a state unit rivaling the internationally recognized National Oil Corp. based in the capital Tripoli, in a surprise move that could create uncertainty among buyers. “All oil facilities, all oil ports — not just the ones in the oil crescent but even Hariga port — all oil sectors, oil pipelines, all facilities…

Bond Flight From South Africa Spurs `Amplification’ Warning

Posted on by The Editorial Team

JOHANNESBURG (Capital Markets in Africa) – Foreign investors’ holdings of South African bonds have dropped to the lowest level in more than a year following a record sell-off since the beginning of May, and a senior Treasury official says there could be worse to come. Non-residents held 38.9 percent of government debt as of June 22, down from as high as 42.8 percent in March, according to Bloomberg’s calculations based on National Treasury data through…

Mauritian Exchange Sees $6.5 Billion Gold Trading in Five Years

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MAURITANIA (Capital Markets in Africa) – A Mauritian commodity exchange that plans to start operating in the fourth quarter expects to trade $6.5 billion of gold annually within five years, part of the Indian Ocean island nation’s plan to become a financial gateway to Africa, its chairman said. The introduction of the Mauritius International Derivatives and Commodities Exchange brings to fruition Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth’s pledge last year to introduce gold trading to the country. Mauritius’s…

Moody’s Sees East African Economies Expanding Fastest Globally

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NAIROBI (Capital Markets in Africa) – East African economies will be among the fastest growing globally over the next two years with rates of 5.5 percent to 7 percent, driven by public spending on infrastructure, according to Moody’s Investors Service. Rwanda and Tanzania are expected to grow at 6.5 percent to 7.5 percent annually, while Uganda and Kenya could see rates of 5 percent – 6 percent. The services sector, which makes up the largest share of…

OPEC’s Newest Member May Boost Output as Much as 65% This Year

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LAGOS (Capital Markets in Africa) – The Republic of Congo expects to raise oil production by as much 65 percent this year as two new projects come on stream, Hydrocarbons Minister Jean-Marc Thystere-Tchicaya said. Congo joined OPEC last week and plans to open up its oil industry, which the government says is dominated by Total SA and Eni SpA, to new investors. Sub-Saharan Africa’s third-biggest oil producer pumped 291,000 barrels per day last year, according to the BP…

Government debt at $14 trillion at end-2017, equivalent to 48% of GDP

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LAGOS (Capital Markets in Africa) -The Institute of International Finance indicated that the level of general government debt in emerging markets (EMs) reached a record-high of $14 trillion at the end of 2017, which is equivalent to 48% of aggregate EM GDP. It noted that government debt in EMs grew by $6 trillion since the end of 2010, with significant increases in the public debt levels of Brazil, Colombia, Egypt, South Africa and Ukraine. Also, it pointed out that government debt…

Emerging Markets Have Many Tools, Few Good: A. Gary Shilling

Posted on by The Editorial Team

LAGOS (Capital Markets in Africa) – The rising U.S. dollar and higher interest rates are pummelling emerging markets. Foreign investors who rode the big rally in these markets in 2016 and 2017 see little reason to stick around and are leaving en masse. This shift will probably persist since dollar-denominated obligations make up some 75 percent of the trillions of dollars in developing-economy debt. True, cheaper currencies versus the greenback aid developing economies by…

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