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Why Are So Many African Leaders Shutting Off the Internet in 2019?

LAGOS (Capital Markets in Africa) — Last week, Zimbabwe’s High Court ordered Internet operators to restore the Internet, which they had shut down for a week. President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s officials ordered the shutdown after mass protests against fuel price hikes — from less than $3 per gallon to almost $12 a gallon — rocked Zimbabwe for weeks, aiming to prevent protesters from coordinating their actions and sharing information. Protesters argued that the shutdown’s goal was…

Goldman Cheers as Rand Heads for Best-Ever Start to a Year

Posted on by The Editorial Team

LAGOS (Capital Markets in Africa) – The rand’s flying start to 2019 may be just the beginning, according to Goldman Sachs Group Inc. The South African currency is heading for its biggest January gain against the dollar since Bloomberg started compiling the data in 1999. And with expected volatility near an eight-month low, traders are discounting local stumbling blocks in coming months, including a budget speech, ratings review and election. The rand has been buoyed by a more dovish Federal Reserve…

Congo President-Elect Strikes a Conciliatory Tone After Win

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KINSHASA (capital Markets in Africa) – The Democratic Republic of Congo’s incoming president, Felix Tshisekedi, will work with his predecessor to foster reconciliation and accelerate development in the poverty-stricken nation, his party said. Tshisekedi, 55, became the first opposition leader to win an election in the cobalt- and copper-rich country when electoral authorities on Thursday declared him the victor of a Dec. 30 vote. Rival candidate Martin Fayulu, who was backed by two of outgoing President Joseph Kabila’s…

Sonia Gets Clean Sweep in 2019 Sterling Bonds as Libor Fades

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LAGOS (Capital Markets in Africa) – U.K. regulators are seeing some success as they try to shift the sterling bond market away from scandal-hit Libor. Five all-new floating-rate pound notes have come to market this year, and all of them have been tied to the Sterling Overnight Interbank Average rather than Libor. FMS Wertmanagement, Lloyds Banking Group Plc and International Finance Corp were the latest names to join the offering list. The five deals, totaling at least 3.5 billion pounds…

IMF Boss Lagarde Urges South Africa to Shield Institutions

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JOHANNESBURG (Capital Markets in Africa) – South Africa should “never be complacent” about protecting key institutions such as the central bank or National Treasury as it tries to boost economic growth, International Monetary Fund Managing Director Christine Lagarde said. The rise of populism in developed economies has brought with it a wave of attacks on central banks in the U.S., U.K., Europe and South Africa, where Governor Lesetja Kganyago successfully fought off a proposal by the nation’s…

Next Week Becomes Less Daunting for Rand Traders as Swings Ebb

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JOHANNESBURG (Capital Markets in Africa) – For the first time since August, traders are less concerned about the rand’s immediate future than the longer-term outlook for the currency. One-week implied volatility for the rand against the dollar fell below one-month volatility this week, with the three-month, six-month and one-year measures dropping even lower. That’s a turnaround from a month ago, when short-term volatility surged amid a sell-off sparked by crises in Argentina and Turkey. The…

Base of Australia Sees Madagascar Ilmenite Output Starting 2021

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MADAGASCAR (Capital Markets in Africa) – Base Resources Ltd. said it expects to start output at a mineral-sands project in Madagascar on schedule in three years, and sees no threat of delay from protests by residents. The West Perth, Australia-based company expects to start production of ilmenite, which is used to manufacture pigments used in paint, at Toliara Sands on the Indian Ocean island in late 2021, it said in an emailed response to questions on…

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