South Africa | - Part 54

South African Bank Stocks Beating Rivals May Find 2017 Tougher

JOHANNESBURG (Capital Markets in Africa) – South Africa was a bright spot for banks on the continent in 2016, with stocks shrugging off the nation’s economic woes to head for the third-best performance in the past decade. Next year the picture may not be as rosy. The nation’s banks index rose 25 percent this year as rate increases boosted lending income, commodities rose and the rand rebounded. In Nigeria, 15 banks fell 33 percent on average and 11…

Life Healthcare to Fund Alliance Deal With $756 Million Offer

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JOHANNESBURG (Capital Markets in Africa) – Life Healthcare Group Holdings Limited. plans to raise as much as 10.7 billion rand ($756 million) through a rights issue as the South African company seeks to reduce debt after it expanded into the U.K. market. The fully underwritten offer will cut Life Healthcare’s debt to “the appropriate level of gearing for the company to restore its investment grade credit rating,” the Johannesburg-based owner of private hospitals said in a statement on…

South Africa’s Rand Merchant buys 30 pct stake in UK insurer Hastings

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LONDON (Reuters) – South Africa’s Rand Merchant Investment Holdings ramped up its presence in the British insurance market on Wednesday with the purchase of a 30 percent stake in Hastings, driving the UK firm’s shares to 2-1/2 month highs. Hastings, which listed just over a year ago, has made headway in a competitive sector by focusing on selling motor insurance via price comparison websites. Hastings Investco, the firm’s main shareholder, and other individual shareholders are…

South Africa needs Reform to Lift Growth, says IMF

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JOHANNESBURG (Capital Markets in Africa) – Since 1994, economic growth and sound policies have been mutually reinforcing, fostering economic transformation and improving living conditions. However, the long-run economic growth rate has gradually slowed over the years. Following the onset of adverse shocks such as the decline in commodity prices, economic activity has come to a near-standstill in 2016 and the projected recovery to almost 1 percent in 2017 remains insufficient to keep pace with population…

South Africa’s Eskom May Seek Nuclear-Plant Proposals This Week

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JOHANNESBURG (Capital Markers in Africa) – Eskom SOC Holdings Ltd., South Africa’s state-owned power utility, may ask developers for proposals to build as much as 9,600 megawatts of nuclear-powered electricity plants this week. Most of the documentation is complete and Eskom is waiting for the Department of Energy to formalize the company’s role as the procurer for the country’s nuclear energy program, spokesman Khulu Phasiwe said by phone Tuesday. The expected timing of the request for proposals,…

Metal-Backed Funds Hottest Since 2009 as Markets Tighten

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JOHANNESBURG (Capital Markets in Africa) – Investors are warming to industrial-metal funds to take advantage of the biggest annual price rally in seven years. Some $320 million poured into long-only exchange-traded funds this year through Dec. 9, poised for the biggest inflow since 2009, according to data compiled by Bloomberg Intelligence. Money is returning as the demand outlook improves, prompting Bank of America Merrill Lynch to raise price forecasts for copper, lead and zinc, while Citigroup Inc. said there’s “cautious…

Old Mutual to cut stake in asset management arm via offering

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JOHANNESBURG (Capital Markets in Africa) – Financial services group Old Mutual Plc said it would sell 13 million shares in its OM Asset Management Plc arm through a public offering, as the group prepares to split into its four main businesses. The proposed split was revealed in March as regulatory changes in Europe and South Africa have made Old Mutual, which started out in 1845 as a life insurance firm in Cape Town, more complex…

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