The Markets

LAGOS (Capital Markets in Africa) — The days when Bitcoin was the only real option for investors looking to get into cryptocurrencies are long gone. Ether, the second-largest currency, rose to a record as interest in so-called alt coins continues to surge. Dogecoin, the memecoin that started as a joke, is now worth nearly $90 billion. In all, there are more than 7,000 coins currently tracked by CoinGecko, with a bewildering array of names (PancakeSwap, anyone?). For most…

LAGOS (Capital Markets in Africa) — The financing required to rebuild economies in African nations following the coronavirus pandemic gives the continent an opportunity to boost its share of Islamic financing. Sub-Saharan Africa Islamic finance assets are forecast to grow as much as 25% this year to return to the pre-pandemic level as governments reopen their economies, said Faizal Bhana, the director for the Middle East, Africa and India at Jersey Finance. Sharia-compliant assets in…

LAGOS (Capital Markets in Africa) — A year after Warren Buffett revealed he was unloading airline stocks as the pandemic took hold, Berkshire Hathaway Inc.shareholders are eager for his sense of what’s next for the conglomerate with more Americans emerging from lockdown. On Saturday, Berkshire’s chief executive officer will address shareholders via video-conference to conform with health guidelines, scrapping for a second year an arena event in Omaha, Nebraska, that typically attracted thousands of adoring…

LONDON (Capital Markets in Africa) — After one of the most difficult years in the oil industry’s history, crude prices have recovered and major producers are finally generating spare cash. Investors really want to get their hands on it, but most are likely to be disappointed. That’s because the pandemic has created a legacy of debt for the world’s biggest international oil companies, many of which borrowed to fund their dividends as prices crashed. For Exxon…

NEW YORK (Capital Markets in Africa) — JPMorgan Chase & Co. is preparing to offer a Bitcoin fund to wealthy clients, the latest sign that Wall Street is warming to the largest cryptocurrency after it soared in recent months. The actively managed fund will be available as soon as this summer, CoinDesk reported Monday, citing sources familiar with the plans. NYDIG will be the custody provider, a person with knowledge of the situation said, asking…

MAPUTO (Capital Markets in Africa) — French energy giant Total SE suspended its $20 billion liquefied natural gas project in Mozambique indefinitely due to an escalation of violence in the area, including a March attack by Islamic State-linked militants. The decision is a blow to Total, which bought an operating stake in the project for $3.9 billion in 2019, hoping to start exporting the super-chilled fuel by the end of 2024. The first phase of…

LAGOS (Capital Markets in Africa) — Nigerians have been accumulating foreign currencies to protect their wealth from naira volatility and surging inflation, according to a research paper in a journal published by the Central Bank of Nigeria. “Higher real-exchange rate volatility is associated with an increased level of currency substitution,” central bank economists including Isaiah Ajibola, Sylvanus Udoette, Rabia Muhammad and John Anigwe said in the paper available on the central bank’s website. There is…