Foreign FX |

No Currency, Just a Currency Crisis: Zimbabwe’s Woes Deepen

HARARE (Capital Markets in Africa) – Not having a currency of its own hasn’t stopped Zimbabwe from sliding into a currency crisis. A scarcity of foreign exchange has led to long queues for fuel, bread and medicine and sent prices surging. Protests erupted across the southern African country on Monday, leaving possibly five people dead, after the government more than doubled gasoline prices to $3.31 a liter ($12.58 a gallon) over the weekend, the highest in…

Stress Sign: Black Market’s Cheaper Than Official Naira Rate

Posted on by The Editorial Team

LAGOS (Capital Markets in Africa) – Nigeria’s new currency market is showing just how severe the country’s dollar shortage is. The naira is falling to levels weaker than the black-market rate in a foreign-exchange window set up for international investors and hedge funds last month. It’s a sign of how dysfunctional currency markets have become in Africa’s largest economy as officials enforce multiple exchange rates and trading and import restrictions. Funds including Chicago-based Frontaura Capital, South Africa’s Allan…

Rand, Bonds Fall as South Africa Junk Rating Triggers Index Exit

Posted on by The Editorial Team

JOHANNESBURG (Capital Markets in Africa) – South Africa’s rand and dollar bonds fell after Fitch Ratings Ltd. became the second company to cut the country’s credit assessment to junk, triggering sales by some investors tracking investment-grade debt indexes. JPMorgan Chase & Co. said it would remove South Africa from gauges tracked by $59 billion of funds. President Jacob Zuma plunged South Africa into a political crisis when he fired Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan in a cabinet purge just after midnight on…

South African Banks Fall on S&P Downgrade, Rand Weakness but Resilience

Posted on by The Editorial Team

JOHANNESBURG (Capital Markets in Africa) – South Africa’s banking sector fell by nearly three percent on Thursday after S&P cut the credit ratings of several major financial institutions following a sovereign downgrade. S&P cut South Africa’s credit level to junk status on Monday, citing growing concerns of political and policy instability following President Jacob Zuma’s midnight cabinet reshuffle a week ago. A weak rand following the downgrade compounded the impact on banking shares on Thursday,…

South Africa rand hits near 19-mth high as Fed signals gradual tightening

Posted on by The Editorial Team

JOHANNESBURG (Capital Markets in Africa) – South Africa’s rand hovered near a 19-month high against the dollar early on Thursday after the U.S. Federal Reserve raised interest rates on Wednesday, but signalled a gradual pace of rate hikes for the rest of the year. At 0646 GMT, the rand traded at 12.8125 per dollar, flat from its New York close on Thursday, after rallying to 12.77 late on Wednesday in the wake of the Fed’s…