African currency |

Egypt Sees More Pound Volatility After Repatriation Fund Ends

CAIRO (Capital Markets in Africa) – Egypt’s stagnant exchange rate is likely to see more movement after a system that guaranteed foreign investors could repatriate dollars was terminated, but the central bank stands ready to fend off speculators and ensure debt holders don’t lose out, Governor Tarek Amer said. Amer’s remarks could help reassure foreign investors scrutinizing Egypt’seconomic policy as the country wraps up a three-year, $12 billion economic overhaul agreement with the International Monetary Fund this year….

EGYPT INSIGHT: Pound Volatility Coming, Dollar Ties to Loosen

Posted on by The Editorial Team

CAIRO (Capital Markets in Africa) – More volatility in the Egyptian pound is coming, but the central bank could use foreign exchange reserves and interest rates to support the currency. That’s the message from the governor of the Central Bank of Egypt. Here’s our initial take on what the governor told Bloomberg News: The Egyptian pound exhibited remarkable stability last year, hovering around 18 to the dollar, even as other emerging market currencies had a rough ride…

No Looking Back for S. African Rand as Bears Lose Conviction

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JOHANNESBURG (Capital Markets in Africa) – Rand bears are on the retreat as South Africa’s currency heads into 2019. The currency got off to a blistering start to the year, adding 3 percent amid receding worries over the U.S.-China trade war and the Federal Reserve’s second thoughts about policy tightening. And in a sign investor are leaving last year’s 14 percent slump behind them, some bearish indicators back at levels last seen before Turkey’s meltdown in August….

Eye of the Emerging-Market Storm May Have Passed the Rand

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JOHANNESBURG (Capital Markets in Africa) – The tide may have turned for South Africa’s battered rand. The currency slumped 14 percent in the second quarter, its worst three-month period in more than six years, amid an emerging-market sell-off sparked by rising U.S. rates and escalating trade tensions. It didn’t help that South Africa’s economy is struggling to emerge from a contraction, leaving the central little room for policy tightening. And the euphoria that followed Cyril Ramaphosa’s election…

Rand’s on a High as Commodities, Politics and Greenback Team Up

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JOHANNESBURG (Capital Markets in Africa) – The stars are aligned for South Africa’s rand as it enters the new year. Not only are investors backing the currency on prospects that market favourite Cyril Ramaphosa may soon become the country’s leader, but the ailing dollar and rising commodity prices are playing along. The rand touched its strongest level in more than two years on December 28 and remained near that level on Tuesday. The Bloomberg Commodity Index climbed to a…

Egypt Lifts Remaining Currency Restrictions as Crunch Abates

Posted on by The Editorial Team

CAIRO (Capital Markets in Africa) – Egypt’s central bank lifted its last remaining official foreign-currency controls, as a dollar shortage that stymied the economy receded since authorities floated the pound and introduced wide-ranging reforms. The regulator removed limits imposed in 2015 for deposits and withdrawals by importers of non-essential goods, the bank said in a statement Tuesday. Deposits had been restricted to $10,000 per day and $50,000 monthly, while withdrawals were capped at $30,000. Caps…

Overstock Unit Starting an Exchange for Digital Coin Trading

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LAGOS (Capital Markets in Africa) – The digital token market may be about to become a little bit more like Wall Street. tZero, a subsidiary of online retailer Overstock.com Inc., is joining with Argon Group and RenGen LLC to form a digital tokens exchange that Overstock Chief Executive Officer Patrick Byrne said will be the first in compliance with Securities Exchange Commission and Financial Industry Regulatory Authority guidelines. There’s a pipeline of about $2 billion in digital assets…

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