The Markets

LAGOS (Capital Markets in Africa) — Silver broke above $30 an ounce as the precious metal took center stage in the retail investor frenzy sweeping through markets. Most-active futures jumped as much as 13% to $30.35 an ounce on the Comex, the highest in eight years. That followed a weekend buying binge that overwhelmed online sellers of silver coins and bars from the U.S. to Australia. BlackRock Inc.’s iShares Silver Trust, the largest exchange-traded product tracking the metal, recorded…

LAGOS (Capital Markets in Africa) — Elon Musk once again sent ripples through the price of Bitcoin after declaring that he’s a supporter of the largest cryptocurrency. Speaking on social audio app Clubhouse, the billionaire said at this point he thinks “Bitcoin is a good thing,” adding he’s “late to the party” and should have bought the cryptocurrency eight years ago. The digital coin spiked to almost $34,500 Monday amid the comments, before easing back. It…

NEW YORK (Capital Markets in Africa) — Greylock Capital Associates filed for bankruptcy protection in New York as investors pulled money from the hedge fund following three consecutive years of losses. The Chapter 11 proceedings will allow Greylock to restructure its debt and terminate its Madison Avenue office lease in Manhattan, according to a Jan. 31 filing signed by Chief Financial Officer David Steltzer. Assets under management at the emerging markets hedge fund — which more…

JOHANNESBURG (Capital Markets in Africa) — South African stocks have made their best start to the year since 2012, even after last week’s pullback, and JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Bank of America are among those predicting further gains. A global appetite for riskier assets has propelled emerging market inflows and the Johannesburg exchange is set to benefit from its heavy weighting in mining stocks as China’s economy emerges from the pandemic. Add to this…

LAGOS (Capital Markets in Africa) — In financial markets filled to the brim with froth, one of the more speculative corners is showing signs of bubbling yet again. Bitcoin rebounded from its sharp sell-off last week which saw prices plunge more than 12%, the steepest weekly drop since last March. The digital asset bounced back from below $30,000 Friday to trade around $34,400 as of 10:22 a.m. Monday in New York. “It’s a little bit…

JOHANNESBURG (Capital Markets in Africa) — South Africa’s main stocks index declined 1% by 9:53 a.m. in Johannesburg, the biggest intraday decline in 2021, after a slump in Tencent Holdings Ltd. in Hong Kong pulled benchmark giant Naspers Ltd. and its subsidiary, Prosus NV, lower. Tencent lost as much as 6.7% in Hong Kong on Tuesday, as traders took profit after Monday’s 11% surge, which was Tencent’s biggest in almost a decade. Investors were also…