Commodity Outlook

Rio Tinto Picks Thompson for Chairman as Investors Seek Discipline

JOHANNESBURG (Capital Markets in Africa) – Rio Tinto Group named industry veteran Simon Thompsonas chairman after shareholders rejected a plan to install a renowned dealmaker — reinforcing an industry-wide investor drive for higher returns and caution over project spending. Thompson, 58, a Rio director since 2014 and previously an executive director at Anglo American Plc, will succeed Jan du Plessis from March 5, London-based Rio said Monday in a statement. Du Plessis, who’s held the post since 2009, is stepping down after taking up…

Dispute at Congo Cobalt Mine Heads to Court, Halts Supply

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DR CONGO (Capital Markets in Africa) – An attempt by Congo’s Gecamines to profit from the boom in battery metals has backfired, leaving the state-owned miner facing two international court actions and halting cobalt production at a key mine. Gecamines blocked its 16-year partner GTL’s access to the cobalt site in the south eastern Congolese town of Lubumbashi in March to make way for a new investor, as prices for the metal soared. The attempt to switch…

Tanzanian Helium Discovery May Be Double Initial Estimate

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DAR ES SALAAM (Capital Markets in Africa) – Helium resources discovered in Tanzania last year may be almost twice as large as first thought, helping address possible future shortages of the gas used in medical scanners and nuclear energy when production begins, possibly as early as 2020, the exploration company said. Researchers working with Lisbon-based Helium One Ltd. calculated the Rukwa gas field in southwestern Tanzania could contain as much as 98.9 billion cubic feet of the resource, Chief Executive…

Iron Ore Seen Back in $40s as China Challenges Loom in 2018

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LAGOS (Capital Markets in Africa) Iron ore may get a reprieve for the remainder of this year before tougher times return in 2018, according to Schroders Plc, which says the raw material may sink back below $50 a metric ton as the effect of credit-led stimulus in China wears off and demand concerns resurface in the top user. “The underlying supply and demand is pretty negative, so over a decent time period we wouldn’t be surprised to…

Ghana Cocoa Regulator Is Said to Face $280 Million Shortfall

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ACCRA (Capital Markets in Africa) – Ghana’s cocoa regulator is facing a 1.25 billion ($285 million) cedi budget shortfall for the new harvest as the world’s second-biggest producer of the beans is keeping farmer pay unchanged even after global prices slumped, according to two people familiar with the matter. At a forecast crop of 850,000 metric tons for the new season through September, the Ghana Cocoa Board will lose 1,481 cedis per ton after all expenses are paid,…

How Deep Will Saudi Cut Its Oil Output? To the Lowest Since 2015?

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LAGOS (Capital Markets in Africa) – Saudi Arabia has promised to do “whatever it takes” to end the global oil glut. If it cuts supplies in November by as much as it pledges, the kingdom will reduce production and exports alike by more or less a million barrels a day compared with last year. And that’s about all the world’s biggest oil exporter — and linchpin of a global plan to bolster crude markets — can do…

Copper Trumps Politics as Investors Take Shine to Zambian Assets

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LUSAKA (Capital Markets in Africa) Investors are overlooking Zambia’s political risk and buying the nation’s assets as the price of copper, its biggest export, rises. The yield on Zambia’s $1 billion Eurobonds due April 2024 have fallen 135 basis points this year to 7.55 percent on Wednesday. The southern African nation’s currency has appreciated 12 percent against the dollar in 2017, making the kwacha the continent’s best performer after Mozambique’s metical. Copper prices are at…

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