June 19 (Reuters) – The following company announcements, scheduled economic indicators, debt and currency market moves and political events may affect African markets on Wednesday.

EVENTS:

A terrorism trial of Nigerian separatist leader Nnamdi Kanu begins in the capital Abuja.

GLOBAL MARKETS

Asian shares rose to their highest in three weeks on Wednesday, buoyed by a rally in tech stocks, while the dollar wobbled after soft U.S. retail sales data reinforced expectations of the Federal Reserve cutting rates later this year.

WORLD OIL PRICES

Oil prices held steady during trade on Wednesday, as the market weighed concerns over escalating conflict in Europe and the Middle East with demand worries following an unexpected build in U.S. crude inventories.

SOUTH AFRICA MARKETS

South African assets gained on Tuesday, building on momentum after unity government members were confirmed last week and ahead of talks by U.S. Federal Reserve officials later in the day.

KENYA MARKETS

The Kenyan shilling was flat against the dollar on Tuesday, LSEG data showed.

SUDAN SECURITY

Sudan and the United Arab Emirates clashed at the U.N. Security Council on Tuesday over accusations by the army-aligned Sudanese government that the UAE is providing weapons and support to a rival warring party in the country’s 14-month long conflict.

GHANA ECONOMY

Ghana’s economy grew 4.7% year-on-year in the first quarter of 2024, the country’s statistics agency said on Tuesday.

NIGER SECURITY

An armed group opposed to Niger’s ruling junta disabled a section of the country’s PetroChina-funded 601857.SS crude oil pipeline in an attack on Sunday night, it said in a statement.

CHAD BLAST

A fire at a military ammunition depot in Chad’s capital N’Djamena triggered a series of blasts on Tuesday night, Foreign Affairs Minister Koulamallah Abderaman said, with witnesses saying at least one person was killed and several wounded.

((Compiled by Nairobi Newsroom))