The Markets | - Part 194

South Africa’s ANC attacks banks over forex rigging charges

JOHANNESBURG (Capital Markets in Africa) – South Africa’s ruling ANC party called on Thursday for the toughest possible sanctions against more than a dozen local and foreign banks accused of rigging the rand currency, piling political pressure on lenders that have become a target for public anger. The Competition Commission said on Wednesday it had found the banks, including U.S., European, Japanese and Australian lenders, had colluded to coordinate their trading activities when dealing in…

IMF may consider extending Ghana aid deal, says its Ghana country head

Posted on by The Editorial Team

ACCRA (Capital Markets in Africa) – The International Monetary Fund (IMF) may consider extending its three-year aid deal with Ghana if the new government requests an extension, the Washington-based lender said on Wednesday. The West African country is more than halfway through a $918 million programme signed in April 2015 to restore fiscal balance to an economy dogged by deficits, high public debt and inflation. The government of Nana Akufo-Addo, which took office in January…

Bargain Hunting Pushes Nigerian Benchmark Index to Close Higher

Posted on by The Editorial Team

LAGOS (Capital Markets in Africa) – Performance in the Nigerian equities market deviated from the 2-day bearish trend, as the All Share Index (ASI) rose 0.4% to close at 25,130.26 points while YTD loss trimmed to -6.5%. Consequently, investors gained N33.9bn as market capitalization improved to N8.7tn. Gains in counters which had previously declined – NIGERIAN BREWERIES (+4.2%), DANGCEM (+0.6%) and FORTE (+10.2%) – ensured the market closed positive. However, market activity was mixed as volume traded rose 11.7% to settle at…

South Africa’s Imperial buys stake in Kenyan pharmaceutical distributor

Posted on by The Editorial Team

JOHANNESBURG (Capital Markets in Africa) – South African logistics group Imperial Holdings will buy a 70 percent stake in Kenyan pharmaceutical distributor Surgipharm for $35 million in line with its African growth strategy, the company said on Wednesday. Surgipharm, which is headquartered in Nairobi, is a leading distributor of pharmaceutical, medical, surgical and allied supplies in Kenya, with an annual turnover of about $70 million, the company said in a statement. It gave no further…

South Africa’s trade balance recorded a further surplus of R12.04 billion

Posted on by The Editorial Team

JOHANNESBURG (Capital Markets in Africa) – In December 2016, South Africa’s trade balance recorded a further surplus of R12.04 billion. This compares with a trade deficit of –R1.7 billion in November 2016. The market was expecting a trade surplus of around R6.3 billion for the month, although the trade data is extremely difficult to forecast accurately on a month-by-month basis, especially since the data is not seasonally adjusted and prone to revisions. South Africa has…

Nigerian Equities Sink Further as Large-Cap FMCGs Extend Losses

Posted on by The Editorial Team

LAGOS (Capital Markets in Africa) – The All Share Index (ASI) of the Nigerian Bourse closed negative today, losing 84bps to close at 25,032.17 points, as the bearish run in large-cap FMCGs continued unabated. Consequently, investors lost N73.5bn as market capitalization declined to N8.6tn, while MTD and YTD loss of the benchmark index worsened to 3.9% and 6.9% respectively. Today’s performance was dragged by sustained sell-pressure on NIGERIAN BREWERIES (-5.0%), in addition to losses in NESTLE (-3.9%) and ZENITH(-3.8%). However,…

Nigerian Equities Kickstart the Week Lower as FMCGs Flounder… NSE ASI down 38bps

Posted on by The Editorial Team

LAGOS (Capital Markets in Africa) – The equities market closed lower at the end of trade today as the All Share Index (ASI) fell 38 bps to close at 25,244.65 points. Today’s weak performance is attributable to losses in NIGERIAN BREWERIES (-5.0%), STANBIC (-4.5%) and ETI (-3.1%) which offset gains in market heavyweight – DANGCEM(+0.5%). As a result, market capitalisation declined by N33.0bn to settle at N8.7tn. Market activity also moderated as volume and value traded fell 29.7% and 46.6% to…

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