The Markets | - Part 166

Sasol Drops $950 Million Share Plan for Black-Investor Debt

ABIDJAN (Capital Markets in Africa) – Sasol Limited, the world’s largest maker of fuel from coal, abandoned a plan to sell about 13 billion rand ($950 million ) of shares in order to repay debt owed by investors who participated in a transaction to boost black ownership of the company. Johannesburg-based Sasol transferred a stake to about 250,000 black investors in 2008 in a so-called black economic empowerment deal. The transaction was partly financed through…

Zambia Favors Kwacha Debt Over Eurobonds for 2018 Financing

Posted on by The Editorial Team

LUSAKA (Capital Markets in Africa) – Zambia won’t sell dollar debt in 2018 as it focuses on raising kwacha loans and increasing tax collection, Finance Minister Felix Mutati said. The government plans to borrow 11.2 billion kwacha ($1.2 billion) from the domestic market next year, more than triple the amount in the 2017 budget. This is part of its strategy to tilt funding in favor of the local market, after external debt bulged to $7.5 billion by mid-year…

Bitcoin’s Rise Happened in Shadows of Finance. Now Banks Want In

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LAGOS (Capital Markets in Africa) – At first, bitcoin was a way to make payments without banks. Now, with more than $100 billion stashed in digital currencies, banks are debating whether and how to get in on the action. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. Chief Executive Officer Lloyd Blankfein tweeted Tuesday that his firm is examining the cryptocurrency. Other global investment banks are looking into facilitating trades of bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, according to industry consultants. Bitcoin has surged more than 300…

`Mind-Boggling’ Math Could Make Blockchain Work for Wall Street

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LAGOS (Capital Markets in Africa) – A major breakthrough in cryptography may have solved one of the biggest obstacles to using blockchain technology on Wall Street: keeping transaction data private. Known as a “zero-knowledge proof,” the new code will be included in an October 17 upgrade to the ethereum blockchain, adding a level of encryption that lets trades remain private. Previously, users were able to remain anonymous but transactions were verified by allowing everyone on the network…

Investors Undeterred by Risks as South Africa Bond Inflows Soar

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JOHANNESBURG (Capital Markets in Africa) – Political turmoil, the risk of a widening budget deficit, a weakening currency and the prospect of a credit downgrade to junk would usually put investors off a country’s bonds. Not when it comes to South Africa. The lure of the highest yields among emerging-market peers is proving irresistible, with foreign investors buying a net 18 billion rand ($1.3 billion) of South African bonds in September, the most in a month…

Matt Levine’s Money Stuff: Bitcoin Traders and Index Funds

Posted on by The Editorial Team

LAGOS (Capital Markets in Africa) – Goldman Sachs Group Inc. is weighing a new trading operation dedicated to bitcoin and other digital currencies, the first blue-chip Wall Street firm preparing to deal directly in this burgeoning yet controversial market, according to people familiar with the matter. Literally, why not? Banks — Goldman especially — trade things. If there is a thing that trades — and, particularly, if it is a purely financial asset that trades…

Ivory Coast Cocoa Farmers See Bumper Crop After Slow Start

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ABIDJAN (Capital Markets in Africa) – This year’s cocoa harvest in top producer Ivory Coast may be starting slowly, but farmers say volumes will catch up in a few months and are forecasting another big crop to follow last season’s record. Heavy rains in June and July caused flowers to fall off trees and while farmers have started reaping some pods, there are a lot fewer than this time last year, said Salam Pelega, the head…

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