The Markets

HARARE(Capital Markets in Africa) — Zimbabwe shut down its stock market and then ejected the continent’s oldest insurer from the bourse. Now it’s hoping to entice investors to a new exchange with a plan to package equity purchases with political-risk cover. Justin Bgoni, who is setting up the foreign-currency-only market at the iconic Victoria Falls near the Zambian border, knows it’s a tough sell. As chief executive officer of the Zimbabwe Stock Exchange, he had to…

LAGOS (Capital Markets in Africa) — The Federal Reserve and other central banks are heading for a collision with shadow lenders — the firms with a sinister nickname that are increasingly dominating global finance. Even as policymakers struggle to reopen their economies in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, they’ve launched a review of what went wrong with markets in March, when a worldwide dash for cash by investors nearly crashed the financial system and…

LUANDA (Capital Markets in Africa) — Angola’s Eurobonds fell the most in three weeks as a postponed International Monetary Fund meeting raised concern that the southern African nation may face obstacles to obtaining a bigger loan from the institution. The IMF executive board meeting, which had been scheduled for Thursday, was delayed to give the fund more time to work with Angolan authorities, a spokesperson for the Washington-based organization said, without providing more details. The…

JOHANNESBURG (Capital Markets in Africa) — With the dollar heading into what is traditionally its best month of the year, the outlook for South Africa’s rand has taken a turn for the worse. The world’s second-most volatile currency has weakened during August in four of the past five years, for an average decline of 5.3%, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. The dollar, by contrast, has gained on average 0.4% in August against a basket…

JOHANNESBURG (Capital Markets in Africa) — Not even a record rally can entice foreign investors to South African gold stocks. With gold prices soaring on the heels of monetary stimulus, shares in producers of the metal are back in favor around the world. But investors are fretting about supply disruptions at South Africa’s mines as a result of soaring Covid-19 infections, according to Benguela Global Fund Managers Ltd. Non-residents sold a net 2.1 billion rand ($128 million) of…

ACCRA (Capital Markets in Africa) — Ghana’s fund managers, unable to access deposits tied-up in failed banks, will receive bonds directly from the government to boost liquidity, according to two people with direct knowledge of the matter. Money managers have been struggling to meet withdrawal requests from customers, cover their costs, or make fresh investments. Their funds are locked up in second-tier lenders that lost their licenses after regulators last year clamped down on smaller…

NAIROBI(Capital Markets in Africa) — The Kenyan shilling slipped to a record low amid increased corporate demand for dollars following the lifting of some government restrictions aimed at controlling the spread of the coronavirus. The currency of East Africa’s largest economy weakened 0.1% to 107.98 per dollar by 10:15 a.m. in the capital, Nairobi, after earlier breaching 108 for the first time. Should it end the day at that level, it would be its lowest…