NAIROBI, July 31 (Reuters) – The following company announcements, scheduled economic indicators, debt and currency market moves and political events may affect African markets on Wednesday.
EVENTS:
*Kenya and Uganda statistics offices are due to release their respective consumer inflation data for July.
*Ethiopia’s lawmakers are due to hold an emergency session to discuss the country’s loans. On Monday, Ethiopia secured an agreement with the International Monetary Fund for a new financing program worth $3.4 billion.
GLOBAL MARKETS
Asian stocks rose on Wednesday and the yen was volatile after the Bank of Japan raised interest rates, while investors assessed contrasting results from tech bellwether Microsoft and chipmaker AMD that suggested a divide in the AI landscape.
WORLD OIL PRICES
Oil futures rebounded more than $1 a barrel from 7-week lows on Wednesday after the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Iran ratcheted up tensions in the Middle East, but prices stayed under pressure from concerns about weak China demand.
SOUTH AFRICA MARKETS
The South African rand gained on Tuesday as markets waited on the outcome of a U.S. Federal Reserve meeting on Wednesday which could give hints on its rate-cut timeline.
KENYA MARKETS
Kenya’s shilling held steady on Tuesday, with traders projecting that dollar inflows from the tourism and agriculture sectors would bolster its strength.
ETHIOPIA ECONOMY
Ethiopia’s new $3.4 billion financing deal with the International Monetary Fund paves the way for completion of its long-delayed debt restructuring in the next three to six months, a senior finance ministry official said on Tuesday.
LIBERIA CENTRAL BANK
Liberia suspended its central bank governor on Tuesday after an audit found irregular loans to the government and unauthorised spending, the information minister and a spokesperson for the central bank said.
CAMEROON MINING
Cameroon on Tuesday signed a bauxite mining deal worth at least $2 billion with a subsidiary of Australia-based Canyon Resources, as the central African nation seeks to become an upper middle-income country by 2035.
((Compiled by Nairobi Newsroom))