Kenya shilling firm, bond inflows match corporate dollar demand

Kenya shilling firm, bond inflows match corporate dollar demand

NAIROBI (Reuters) – Kenya’s shilling was steady in early business on Wednesday, with usual end-month demand for dollars matched by inflows of foreign exchange from investors attracted by a government bond auction. By 0733 GMT, the shilling was quoted at 91.75/95, little changed from Tuesday’s close of 91.70/80. “It looks like the flows that were expected for the upcoming infrastructure bond have been supporting the local currency,” said Duncan Kinuthia, head of trading at Commercial…

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South Africa’s rand at three-week high against dollar on EM rally

South Africa’s rand at three-week high against dollar on EM rally

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) – South Africa’s rand rode the wave of an emerging market rally on Tuesday, extending gains to a new three-week high to a U.S. currency weighed down on expectations the Federal Reserve will delay an interest rate hike to September. By 1506 GMT the rand had firmed 0.5 percent to 11.8500 per dollar, having strengthened to as much as 11.8000 in the session before pulling back as weak Chinese manufacturing data restricted EM…

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Mid-size firms shy away from Nairobi and Dar es Salaam bourses

Mid-size firms shy away from Nairobi and Dar es Salaam bourses

Policy makers in Kenya and Tanzania are looking for ways to attract small and medium sized enterprises to the capital markets to increase their access to cheaper capital according to the East African. 2 years after the launch of the GEMS, the Nairobi bourse has only attracted four companies to the platform whilst the Dar es Salaam stock market has only attracted two. This follows a lukewarm performance at the alternative trading platforms for SMEs on…

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South Africa’s rand rides on euro gains versus dollar

South Africa’s rand rides on euro gains versus dollar

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) – South Africa’s rand steadied versus the dollar after pushing firmer than the 12.00 mark overnight, helped by a stronger euro after the Federal Reserve signalled last week that U.S. rates would rise very gradually. A less aggressive than expected policy tightening cycle by the Fed would boost high-yielding emerging currencies such as the rand, even as South Africa’s own central bank is expected to keep its key repo rate unchanged on Thursday….

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South Africa’s rand steadies, market awaits MPC

South Africa’s rand steadies, market awaits MPC

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) – South Africa’s rand was largely steady on Monday, with direction likely to be driven by global market moves as investors speculate on the timing of policy tightening in the United States. On the domestic front, market players anticipated few ripples from the South African Reserve Bank’s interest rate decision on Thursday, where the benchmark repo rate will likely stay unchanged at 5.75 percent. At 0631 GMT, the rand was just 0.16 percent…

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Egyptian pound steady on official market, weaker on black market

Egyptian pound steady on official market, weaker on black market

CAIRO (Reuters) – Egypt’s central bank kept the pound steady at 7.53 pounds to the dollar at a foreign exchange auction on Sunday, while the domestic currency weakened on the black market. The central bank has now kept the official exchange rate steady for more than a month after letting the pound weaken in an attempt to wipe out black-market trading. The bank said it had offered $40 million at auction and sold $38.4 million…

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South Africa’s rand firms as dollar bulls take back seat

South Africa’s rand firms as dollar bulls take back seat

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) – South Africa’s rand strengthened against the U.S. dollar on Friday, shaking off a credit downgrade to state electricity company Eskom as emerging markets currencies took advantage of a weaker greenback. At 1529 GMT the rand firmed 1.9 percent to 12.0650 per dollar, having earlier hit a session high of 12.0520. The euro was headed for its best weekly performance against the dollar in more than two years, following a surprisingly dovish statement…

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