Locals on Sidelines as Foreigners Reap South Africa Debt Reward

Locals on Sidelines as Foreigners Reap South Africa Debt Reward

JOHANNESBURG (Capital Markets in Africa) – South Africa is looking better from the outside than the inside, judging by the behaviour of bond investors. Foreign holdings of South African government securities are at the highest in two years, with inflows of 62 billion rand ($4.5 billion) this year, compared with 6 billion rand in the corresponding period last year. By contrast, domestic pension funds, historically the biggest investors in government debt, in August reduced their stock to…

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Zimbabwe to issue new bond notes to bolster liquidity

Zimbabwe to issue new bond notes to bolster liquidity

HARARE (Capital Markets in Africa) – It was announced by the Governor of the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ), Dr Mangudya, on 15 September 2016, that “bond notes” will be issued by the end of October, in an effort to ease the recent cash shortages in the country. Liquidity difficulties – Zimbabwe has run out of US dollars, and does not have its own currency – have meant civil servants’ salaries are in arrears, and…

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World Bank Fund For World’s Poorest Nations to Issue First Bonds

World Bank Fund For World’s Poorest Nations to Issue First Bonds

LAGOS, Capital Markets in Africa: The World Bank’s fund for the poorest countries is preparing to tap financial markets for the first time. The International Development Association plans to issue bonds to finance its loans and grants to countries such as Malawi and Niger. Created in 1960, IDA provides loans that charge no interest or very low rates primarily to countries that have an annual per capita income below $1,215. It also gives grants to…

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Nigeria Next for Allan Gray’s Ndiritu After Zambia Triumph

Nigeria Next for Allan Gray’s Ndiritu After Zambia Triumph

LAGOS, Capital Markets in Africa:  A year ago, Nick Ndiritu, a portfolio manager at Cape Town-based Allan Gray Ltd., took a bet on the world’s worst-performing debt. The Zambian bonds Ndiritu bought at the height of the southern African nation’s currency crisis have returned 29 percent this year as the economy rebounded, helping to boost returns at the Allan Gray Africa ex-South Africa Bond Fund to almost double its peer average. Now Ndiritu is seeing value in local-currency…

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MTN Gains After Raising $1.3 Billion of Loans Before Bond Sale

MTN Gains After Raising $1.3 Billion of Loans Before Bond Sale

Johannesburg, Capital Markets in Africa: MTN Group Ltd., Africa’s largest mobile-phone operator by sales, climbed for a second day after raising more than $1.3 billion in loans before the potential sale of bonds. The shares jumped 2.2 percent to 121.49 rand as of 12:29 p.m. in Johannesburg on Wednesday for the biggest two-day advance since June 29 and valuing the company at 225 billion rand ($16 billion). MTN is being provided with $1 billion and 4.8 billion rand…

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Emerging Assets Trim Weekly Rally After ECB Damps Stimulus Hopes

Emerging Assets Trim Weekly Rally After ECB Damps Stimulus Hopes

LAGOS, Capital Markets in Africa: Emerging-market stocks and currencies trimmed the biggest weekly gain in a month after the European Central Bank refrained from pledging more stimulus and North Korea conducted its biggest-ever nuclear test. The won dropped and the Kospi index suffered its worst retreat for two months after North Korea’s fifth nuclear test. Malaysia’s ringgit and Russia’s ruble fell and stocks in Brazil were poised to open lower as Brent crude slid the most in more than a…

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Emerging Markets Advance as Fed Optimism Sparks Dollar Weakness

Emerging Markets Advance as Fed Optimism Sparks Dollar Weakness

JOHANNESBURG, Capital Markets in Africa: Emerging-market currencies and bonds rallied as traders pushed back forecasts for when the Federal Reserve will increase U.S. interest rates, bolstering demand for higher-yielding assets. Most developing-nation currencies trading on Wednesday strengthened against the dollar, led by the South Korean won, Malaysian ringgit and South African rand. Russia’s ruble fell as oil declined for a second day, while the yuan strengthened the most in almost two weeks. Government bonds rallied, with Polish and…

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