Currency | - Part 3

RenCap Sees South African Rand Gaining 30% on Inflows

JOHANNESBURG (Capital Markets in Africa) – South Africa’s rand is set to extend gains, strengthening between 20 percent and 30 percent against the dollar over the next two years as relatively high yields continue to attract investment into Africa’s biggest economy, according to Renaissance Capital Ltd. An improvement in the current-account deficit, a risk factor for the currency, also bodes well for the rand, Charles Robertson, the London-based chief economist at RenCap, said at a conference…

Ghana Cedi Falls as Government Wage Bill Exceeds Projections

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ACCRA (Capital Markets in Africa) – Ghana’s currency retreated on Monday after government data showed the West African nation is overshooting key budget targets as it approaches elections in December. The government spent 58 percent of its full-year budget for state-worker pay in the first six months of 2016, exceeding annual allocations for local government and rural development employees, according to budget documents, raising questions about the country’s commitment to rein in the fiscal deficit as…

South African Rand Advances to Five-Week High After U.S. Debate

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JOHANNESBURG, Capital Markets in Africa: South Africa’s currency strengthened for a second day, trailing only Mexico’s peso, as traders judged Hillary Clinton to have won the U.S. presidential debate versus Donald Trump. The rand appreciated as much as 1.5 percent against the dollar, heading for the strongest closing level since Aug. 18. It was 1.3 percent stronger at 13.5060 by 9:42 a.m. in Johannesburg. Most of the more than 140 global currencies tracked by Bloomberg gained. After Clinton and Trump’s first face-to-face…

South Africa’s Rand Shows a Little Local Strife Can’t Derail Emerging Gains

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JOHANNESBURG, Capital Markets in Africa: For evidence that fundamentals hardly matter in today’s world of easy money, look no further than the rand. In a quarter marked by a political feud between South Africa’s president and his finance minister, stagnant growth and mounting concern that the country may lose its investment-level credit status, the rand returned 11 percent for investors selling the dollar to chase higher yields — more than twice as much as its next-best peer….

Nigeria’s Currency Woes a Boon for Top Palm-Oil Producer

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LAGOS, Capital Markets in Africa: Nigeria’s ban on importers accessing foreign exchange for certain products is proving a boon for the country’s biggest palm-oil producer as it stokes demand for domestic goods. Profit at Presco Plc, a Benin City-based manufacturer of the edible oil, more than doubled in the six months through June as sales jumped 60 percent to 7.5 billion naira ($24 million), according to results published in July. The outlook for the next four…

Egypt | To loosen its currency peg Egypt needs sustainable dollar inflows

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CAIRO, Capital Markets in Africa: Egypt is rebuilding its foreign reserves with the help of loans and aid, easing a shortage of dollars and preparing the way for a loosening of its fixed exchange rate. But economists and bankers say that unless it finds a sustainable inflow of dollars the import-dependent country could soon find itself back at square one. Egypt has struggled to earn dollars since a 2011 revolt drove away tourists and foreign…

Indian Summer Comes to Emerging Markets as Fed Spurs Fresh Gains

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LAGOS, Capital Markets in Africa: The Federal Reserve has given fresh impetus to emerging markets. As Russia joined Argentina in announcing Eurobond sales, stocks from Istanbul to Johannesburg rallied at least 1.6 percent, South Africa’s rand extended its longest winning streak since 2013 and Standard Chartered Plc recommended buying the lira, this quarter’s worst-performing major currency outside of Latin America. Pledges to keep monetary policy accommodative from the Fed and Bank of Japan this week have emboldened the…

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