Monetary Policy Rates |

Egypt Holds Rates as Oil Price Rise Stokes Inflation Worries

CAIRO (Capital Markets in Africa) – Egypt’s central bank kept its benchmark interest rate unchanged on Thursday, as the government prepares for a new round of fuel subsidy cuts against a backdrop of rising global oil prices. The bank’s Monetary Policy Committee, headed by Governor Tarek Amer, held the overnight deposit rate at 16.75 percent — in line with predictions by five out of eight economists surveyed by Bloomberg. The overnight lending rate was kept at…

Kenyan Politics Limbo Hinders Central Bank on Currency Risk

Posted on by The Editorial Team

NAIROBI (Capital Markets in Africa) – On Monday, Kenya’s central bank may have little choice but to do what the rest of the country is stuck with: waiting for a rerun of its presidential election. With political limbo reigning since the Supreme Court’s annulment of the previous attempt at a national vote on Aug. 8, officials are left contemplating the effects of prolonged uncertainty on an economy that also faces slowing growth and persistent inflation….

Zambia Central Bank Reduces Key Rate to Lowest Since 2014

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LUSAKA (Capital Markets in Africa) -Zambia’s central bank cut its benchmark lending rate for a third time this year as inflation remained below the government’s target. The Bank of Zambia lowered the rate to 11 percent from 12.5 percent, Governor Denny Kalyalya told reporters Thursday in Lusaka, the capital. That’s the lowest level since February 2014. The southern African nation’s consumer inflation rate is near the lowest since 2013, with this year’s record harvest of corn, which is used to make…

South Africa Rate on Hold as Central Bank Warns of Rand Risk

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JOHANNESBURG (Capital Markets in Africa) – The South African Reserve Bank left its key rate unchanged for a seventh straight meeting as policy makers warned politics and ratings downgrades could still knock the rand and scupper an improving inflation outlook. The Monetary Policy Committee maintained the benchmark repurchase rate at 7 percent, Governor Lesetja Kganyago told reporters Thursday in the capital, Pretoria. The decision was in line with the estimates of all 21 economists in a Bloomberg…

Africa’s Central Bank Monetary Policy Rates and Foreign Exchange Reserves

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LAGOS (Capital Markets in Africa) – Angola’s central bank kept its benchmark lending rate unchanged at 16 percent following a policy meeting on Friday 28th April 2017, the bank said in a statement posted on its website. The National Bank of Angola (BNA) has kept its key rate steady since June last year when it raised it to the current level to curb accelerating inflation. In 2016 the BNA rate was raised 500 basis points….