<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="570" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/P6ORFY5TKVJHVLDLKUU7XJIJNQ-1-820x570.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-588294" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/P6ORFY5TKVJHVLDLKUU7XJIJNQ-1-820x570.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/P6ORFY5TKVJHVLDLKUU7XJIJNQ-1-300x209.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/P6ORFY5TKVJHVLDLKUU7XJIJNQ-1-129x90.jpg 129w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/P6ORFY5TKVJHVLDLKUU7XJIJNQ-1-768x534.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/P6ORFY5TKVJHVLDLKUU7XJIJNQ-1-1536x1068.jpg 1536w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/P6ORFY5TKVJHVLDLKUU7XJIJNQ-1-scaled.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">FILE PHOTO: South Africa&#8217;s Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana speaks during his 2024 budget speech in Cape Town, South Africa, February 21, 2024. REUTERS/Esa Alexander/File Photo</figcaption></figure>



CAPE TOWN, Feb 19 (Reuters)&nbsp;&#8211;&nbsp;South Africa&#8217;s national budget was postponed at the last minute on Wednesday because of a disagreement between the political parties in the ruling coalition government.



The speaker of the National Assembly, Thoko Didiza, told lawmakers that the budget had never been postponed like this in the three decades since the end of apartheid.



The budget was now expected to be tabled on March 12, she added.



For the first time in the democratic era, the African National Congress (ANC) will need the support of other parties to pass the budget this year, since it lost its parliamentary majority in an election last year.



Its main partner in the coalition, the Democratic Alliance, said the budget had been postponed because of its opposition to the ANC&#8217;s proposal to increase value-added tax (VAT) by 2 percentage points.



The local rand currency extended losses after the budget was delayed, at one point trading down 1% against the dollar on the day.



The Business Day newspaper reported on Wednesday that the proposal to increase VAT was intended to plug holes in the education budget and support social spending.



The last time VAT was raised was in 2018, and opposition parties and labour unions have in recent weeks voiced strong opposition to rumours of a further increase.



Since the aftermath of the 2008-09 global financial crisis, the government of Africa&#8217;s most industrialised nation has struggled to deliver economic growth rates high enough to make a dent in inequality and unemployment.



Public debt has climbed steeply because of revenue shortfalls and runaway spending.



(Additional reporting by Olivia Kumwenda-Mtambo, Tannur Anders and Sfundo Parakozov in Pretoria;Writing by Bhargav Acharya;Editing by Alexander Winning and Aidan Lewis)

South Africa’s Finance Minister Godongwana presents 2024 budget in Cape Town

South African budget postponed over lack of agreement

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="545" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/7YSVP3V465LYDNPKSHKB2M4NNI-820x545.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-588302" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/7YSVP3V465LYDNPKSHKB2M4NNI-820x545.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/7YSVP3V465LYDNPKSHKB2M4NNI-300x199.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/7YSVP3V465LYDNPKSHKB2M4NNI-136x90.jpg 136w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/7YSVP3V465LYDNPKSHKB2M4NNI-768x510.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/7YSVP3V465LYDNPKSHKB2M4NNI-1536x1020.jpg 1536w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/7YSVP3V465LYDNPKSHKB2M4NNI-scaled.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">South African opposition leader, John Steenhuisen of the Democratic Alliance (DA) gestures during a march against crime in Riverlea, ahead of the May 29 general elections in Johannesburg, South Africa, May 16, 2024. REUTERS/Siphiwe Sibeko/File Phot</figcaption></figure>



JOHANNESBURG, Feb 19 (Reuters)&nbsp;&#8211;&nbsp;South Africa&#8217;s Democratic Alliance (DA) party said the 2025 budget was postponed on Wednesday due to its opposition to a 2-percentage-point increase in value-added tax (VAT) proposed by the African National Congress (ANC).



This is a developing story&#8230;



(Reporting by Bhargav Acharya;Editing by Alexander Winning)

7YSVP3V465LYDNPKSHKB2M4NNI

South Africa’s DA says budget postponed due to its opposition to VAT increase

<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1080" height="635" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/4T3WKKI2JBM57JQ4UXKWWGPDLI.avif" alt="" class="wp-image-588272"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Vineyards sit beneath hills at a farm near Stellenbosch, in the country&#8217;s wine producing region, South Africa, November 13, 2015. Picture taken November 13, 2015. REUTERS/Mike Hutchings/File Photo</figcaption></figure>



JOHANNESBURG, Feb 19 (Reuters) &#8211; Donald Trump&#8217;s axing of aid to South Africa, in response to land reform policies he says will harm its white minority, has raised fears a trade deal may be next, though any such move would hurt the same farmers the U.S. president says he wants to help.



Under the Africa Growth and Opportunities Act, South Africa gets tariff-free quotas on agricultural exports including wine, citrus, soybeans, sugar cane and beef. The Act makes up about a quarter of its $15 billion annual trade with the United States. That compares with under $440 million in U.S. aid, in 2023.



&#8220;It is not clear whether the exporters are Black or white; we don&#8217;t record such data,&#8221; said Wandile Sihlobo, chief economist of the Agricultural Business Chamber of South Africa, but only a tenth of farm output is from Black farmers.



&#8220;The majority of white farmers (are) likely have a significant exposure into the U.S. market,&#8221; he said.



Sihlobo said produce shipped to the United States makes up 4% of agricultural exports, equal to about $450 million a year, compared with 19% for the European Union and 38% to the rest of Africa.



But some producers, like those for citrus fruit and wine, are more exposed &#8211; the former made $134 million in 2022, 7% of the country&#8217;s total, while the U.S. is its fourth largest wine market, Sihlobo said.



&#8220;It&#8217;s not industry-ending &#8230; but it&#8217;s very unfortunate,&#8221; said Justin Chadwick, Citrus Growers Association president, estimating U.S.-bound exports at 120,000 tonnes.



&#8220;We (would have) &#8230; to find another home for that fruit &#8230; and our other markets are pretty full.&#8221;



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-unwise">&#8216;UNWISE&#8217;</h2>



The Africa Growth and Opportunities Act (AGOA) is up for review in September. Some Republicans want to punish South Africa for land reform, its genocide case against Israel and other actions such as naval exercises with Russia and China.



The U.S. State Department did not respond to a request for comment.



&#8220;We urge you to revoke South Africa&#8217;s preference benefits, under the Act, four congressmen wrote to Trump on Feb. 11, CNBC news reported.



&#8220;There&#8217;s a real likelihood that South Africa is not going to be included in a renewed AGOA,&#8221; Chatham House senior research fellow Chris Vandome, said. &#8220;It&#8217;s position is really fragile&#8221;.



Trump singled out a law that President Cyril Ramaphosa signed last month enabling land expropriation &#8211; in rare cases without compensation &#8211; after decades of voluntary purchases barely dented inequalities between a white minority who own 75% of freehold land and majority Blacks with 4%.



Some farmers say the law violates property rights. Groups defending Afrikaners, descendents of Dutch settlers who make up the largest white ethnic group and own much of privately held land, have lobbied Republican politicians for years.



&#8220;It was unwise. They&#8217;re shooting themselves in the foot,&#8221; Foreign Minister Ronald Lamola told Reuters in an interview on Monday. &#8220;If AGOA is cut, it&#8217;s a cutting of white farmers.&#8221;



But Ernst Roets, then-lobbyist for Afrikaner group Afriforum, who travelled to the States in 2018 and brought the land issue to Fox News and some Republican officials &#8211; the year Trump first took an interest in it &#8211; said he had &#8220;no regrets.&#8221;



&#8220;We&#8217;re hoping for pressure on the South African government to reconsider its destructive policy ideas,&#8221; Roets, now part of a different lobby group, said.



Not all agribusiness will lose if the Act gets chopped.



Poultry farmers struggling to &#8220;compete with dumping&#8221; of subsidised U.S. chicken imports under the Act would benefit, said Marthinus Stander, a board member of the South African Poultry Association.



(Reporting by Tim Cocks; Additional reporting by Shafiek Tassiem; Editing by Bernadette Baum)

4T3WKKI2JBM57JQ4UXKWWGPDLI

South Africa’s white farmers would be among victims if Trump ends growth bill

<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1080" height="720" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/HACNBSSITZP6VKINH5EEMDGPKI.avif" alt="" class="wp-image-583356"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">South African President Cyril Ramaphosa briefs the media on South Africa&#8217;s G20 presidency for 2025 at the parliament in Cape Town, South Africa, December 3, 2024. REUTERS/Esa Alexander/File Photo</figcaption></figure>



South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has called an emergency cabinet meeting after the Democratic Alliance threatened not to support today’s budget statement by Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana over a proposal to hike the value added tax.



Three sources told CNBC Africa that Godongwana proposed raising the rate from the current 15 percent to plug a hole created by the withdrawal of funding from the United States over South Africa’s land reforms and perceived support for Russia and China.



The rand declined more than 10 cents to as low as R18.46 against the dollar after trading mostly little changed in morning trade.

HACNBSSITZP6VKINH5EEMDGPKI

S. Africa’s Ramaphosa Calls Urgent Cabinet Meeting over budget

<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1920" height="1005" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/4AYCAYRYPFC5LO7RDLWAFNT4NM.avif" alt="" class="wp-image-588214"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Rwandan security officers escort Congolese forces who surrendered, in Gisenyi, Rwanda, January 27, 2025. REUTERS/Jean Bizimana</figcaption></figure>



NAIROBI, Feb 19 (Reuters) &#8211; Rwanda&#8217;s sole international government bond fell by the biggest margin since August 2022 on Wednesday, as worries over fighting in the neighbouring Democratic Republic of the Congo, where Rwanda backs M23 rebels, intensified.



The 1.7 cent fall in the 2031-maturing bond left it at 79 cents, its lowest level since January 2024.



Late last month, the M23 rebels seized Goma, the largest city in eastern Congo, and fighting has since spread to other areas as the group tries to capture more territory.



United Nations human rights office also accused M23 rebels on Tuesday of executing children in eastern Congo during their advance.



Rwanda&#8217;s government in Kigali meanwhile said it was suspending development co-operation with Belgium, accusing Brussels of working jointly with the Congo to &#8220;sabotage&#8221; Rwanda&#8217;s access to development finance, including from multilateral institutions.



This M23 advance is the gravest escalation in more than a decade of the long-running conflict in eastern Congo, rooted in the spillover of Rwanda&#8217;s 1994 genocide into Congo and the struggle for control of Congo&#8217;s vast minerals resources.



Rwanda rejects allegations from Congo, the UN and Western powers that it supports M23 with arms and troops. It says it is defending itself against the threat from a Hutu militia, which it says is fighting with the Congolese military.



The conflict risks driving up Rwanda&#8217;s debt costs and weakening its currency, credit ratings agency S&amp;P said earlier this month.



(Reporting by Duncan Miriri; editing by Marc Jones)

4AYCAYRYPFC5LO7RDLWAFNT4NM

Rwanda’s international bond plunges as concerns over M23 rebels mount

Qualcomm and Volvo CEOs talk the next chapter for AI and driverless cars

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="547" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/108104180-1739952365535-gettyimages-2168418794-20240827_borough_market_014-820x547.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-588196" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/108104180-1739952365535-gettyimages-2168418794-20240827_borough_market_014-820x547.jpeg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/108104180-1739952365535-gettyimages-2168418794-20240827_borough_market_014-300x200.jpeg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/108104180-1739952365535-gettyimages-2168418794-20240827_borough_market_014-135x90.jpeg 135w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/108104180-1739952365535-gettyimages-2168418794-20240827_borough_market_014-768x512.jpeg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/108104180-1739952365535-gettyimages-2168418794-20240827_borough_market_014-1536x1024.jpeg 1536w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/108104180-1739952365535-gettyimages-2168418794-20240827_borough_market_014-scaled.jpeg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Fruit and veg stall Borough Market on 27th August 2024 in London, United Kingdom. Borough Market is a retail food market and farmers market in Southwark. It is one of the largest and oldest food markets in London, with a market on the site dating back to at least the 12th century.  Mike Kemp | In Pictures | Getty Images</figcaption></figure>



The U.K.’s inflation rate rose sharply to 3% in January, coming in above analyst expectations, according to data released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) on Wednesday.



Economists polled by Reuters had expected a reading of 2.8% in the twelve months to January.



Britain’s consumer price index (CPI) fell to a lower-than-expected 2.5% in December,&nbsp;with core price growth also slowing further.



Core inflation, which excludes more volatile energy, food, alcohol and tobacco prices, rose by 3.7% in the 12 months to January, which was up from 3.2% in the previous month. Notably, the core services annual rate rose from 4.4% to 5.0%, the ONS said.



“Inflation increased sharply this month to its highest annual rate since March last year. The rise was driven by air fares not falling as much as we usually see at this time of year, partly impacted by the timing of flights over Christmas and New Year. This was the weakest January dip since 2020,” Grant Fitzner, the ONS’ chief economist, commented Wednesday.



“After falling this time last year, the cost of food and non-alcoholic drinks increased, particularly meat, bread and cereals. Private school fees were another factor, as new VAT [a sales tax] rules meant prices rose nearly 13% this month,” he said, in comments on the X social media platform.



Responding to the latest data, U.K. Chancellor Rachel Reeves said that delivering economic growth and “getting more money in people’s pockets” were her priorities, while acknowledging that “millions of families are still struggling to make ends meet.”



The British pound was little changed against the dollar following the data release, trading at $1.2615.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-sluggish-growth"><a></a>Sluggish growth</h2>



The U.K.’s inflation rate had hit a more than three-year low of 1.7% in September, but monthly prices have picked up since on the back of higher fuel costs and services fees rising faster than the price of goods.



Earlier in February, sluggish growth and a recent drop in inflation prompted the Bank of England to make its first interest rate cut of the year, bringing its benchmark rate down to 4.5%.



The central bank signaled further rate trims were coming but noted that higher global energy costs and regulated price changes are expected to push up headline inflation to 3.7% in the third quarter of 2025, “even as underlying domestic inflationary pressures are expected to wane further.” The BOE expects the inflation rate to fall back to the 2% target by 2027.



Along with listing its price growth outlook, the central bank also halved the U.K.’s economic growth forecast from 1.5% to 0.75% this year.



The latest leap in CPI inflation was no surprise, but it was larger than everyone expected, Ruth Gregory, deputy chief U.K. economist at Capital Economics, noted Wednesday.



“It’s no secret that higher energy prices will push CPI inflation further above 3% over the next 7 months. We doubt this will prevent the Bank from cutting rates further. Indeed, we still think CPI inflation will fall below 2% in 2026 as the fading of some temporary effects and the weak economy feed through to lower services inflation,” she said in emailed comments.



“The risk is that the rise in inflation proves more persistent and rates are cut more slowly than we expect, or not as far,” Gregory added.

108104180-1739952365535-gettyimages-2168418794-20240827_borough_market_014

UK inflation leaps to higher-than-expected 3% in January

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="547" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/IQMT7SFA2RNQLAQHUEOA2VEMMQ-820x547.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-423556" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/IQMT7SFA2RNQLAQHUEOA2VEMMQ-820x547.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/IQMT7SFA2RNQLAQHUEOA2VEMMQ-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/IQMT7SFA2RNQLAQHUEOA2VEMMQ-135x90.jpg 135w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/IQMT7SFA2RNQLAQHUEOA2VEMMQ-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/IQMT7SFA2RNQLAQHUEOA2VEMMQ-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/IQMT7SFA2RNQLAQHUEOA2VEMMQ-scaled.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Illustration photo shows a two-rand coin above a South African flag April 12, 2017. REUTERS/Thomas White/Illustration</figcaption></figure>



JOHANNESBURG, Feb 19 (Reuters)&nbsp;&#8211;&nbsp;South Africa&#8217;s rand was little changed early on Wednesday, ahead of the 2025 national budget speech to be delivered by the finance minister.



At 0712 GMT, the rand traded at 18.4050 against the dollar, near its previous close.



Investors are keenly awaiting the budget speech at 1200 GMT by South Africa&#8217;s Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana for clues on the coalition government&#8217;s fiscal priorities, its roadmap to tackle debt and economic reforms.



&#8220;A well-received budget could push USD-ZAR below 18.3000,&#8221; said Andre Cilliers, currency strategist at TreasuryONE.



However, he said the local currency could come under pressure over lack of reforms and concerns over spending discipline and taxation.



On the stock market, the Top-40 index was flat.



South Africa&#8217;s benchmark 2030 government bond was weaker in early trading, with the yield up 3 basis points to 9.155%.



(Reporting by Bhargav Acharya; Editing by Bernadette Baum)

Illustration photo of South African rand

South African rand steady ahead of national budget

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="547" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/108103308-1739836131646-gettyimages-492558314-CHINA_ECONOMY-820x547.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-588161" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/108103308-1739836131646-gettyimages-492558314-CHINA_ECONOMY-820x547.jpeg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/108103308-1739836131646-gettyimages-492558314-CHINA_ECONOMY-300x200.jpeg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/108103308-1739836131646-gettyimages-492558314-CHINA_ECONOMY-135x90.jpeg 135w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/108103308-1739836131646-gettyimages-492558314-CHINA_ECONOMY-768x512.jpeg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/108103308-1739836131646-gettyimages-492558314-CHINA_ECONOMY-1536x1024.jpeg 1536w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/108103308-1739836131646-gettyimages-492558314-CHINA_ECONOMY-scaled.jpeg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">A man carrying a kite in the shape of the Chinese national flag walks along the Bund while buildings of Pudong’s Lujiazui financial district  in Shanghai, China Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty Images</figcaption></figure>



China is starting to see a rebound in its mergers and acquisition scene after years of decline as the government’s stimulus measures start to bear fruit, while pressure from Donald Trump’s tariffs is also driving industry consolidation.



In 2024, China’s M&amp;A activity was on course to log its fifth straight year of decline, until the final quarter of the year, which saw a sudden acceleration in activity. The value of deals conducted during that period jumped 78.5% to $129 billion from $72 billion in the previous quarter, data from Dealogic showed.



And deal-making is about to pick up more, according to industry watchers whom CNBC spoke to.



The uptick in deal flow in the fourth quarter of 2024 was in part fueled by stimulus efforts introduced by policymakers in late September, said Vivian Wong, head of M&amp;A Analytics at ION Analytics, which is under the same group as Dealogic. Those measures aimed to consolidate domestic industries in order to enhance competitiveness in China’s slowing economy, added Wong.



China’s M&amp;A volume has been trending downward since 2020. Furthermore, the total value of deals logged in 2024 is about 45% less than the $553 billion generated in 2020, according to data from Dealogic.



This was largely because of weak overall economic activity in China and the ensuing bearish sentiments, said Theodore Shou, chief investment officer at Skybound Capital, an alternative assets manager.



The conservative positioning of Chinese corporations also led to less appetite for private market transactions in the past couple of years, he added.



However, 2025 will “see significant merger and acquisition activities involving China,” Zhe Yu, a partner at Shanghai-based Zhong Lun Law Firm, which offers legal support for M&amp;A ventures and IPO deals in China, told CNBC.&nbsp;



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-hedge-against-trump-tariffs"><a></a>A hedge against Trump tariffs?</h2>



Apart from Beijing’s stimulus measures, the flurry of tariff threats before U.S. President Trump’s term and their eventual implementation are also a key driving force for Chinese companies to adapt by diversifying their supply chains and ensuring they have the means to do so, said Deloitte’s APAC M&amp;A Services Leaders Stanley Lah, who is also the firm’s deputy leader of financial advisory in China.



Trump signed an order imposing 10% tariffs against China on Feb. 1. They came into effect Feb. 4 and will apply on top of the existing tariffs of up to 25% on Chinese goods levied during his first presidency.



That development will nudge domestic companies toward consolidation as they look for alternative shipping routes to the U.S. that avoid China as a point of origin, as well as try to become more effective in global markets, Lah said.



“It’s something they need to do quickly, and buying is faster than building a green field,” he added, referring to building facilities and infrastructure from scratch.



This pressure is most keenly felt by small companies in China.



In the third quarter of 2024, China’s micro and small enterprises reported average revenue of 136,000 yuan ($18,700), marking a 4.8% decline compared with the same period in 2023, according to Peking University’s Centre for Enterprise Research’s most recent survey on MSEs. 



To stay afloat, many MSEs had to cut back on hiring and shrink their operations, among a slew of cost-cutting strategies, the survey said.



M&amp;A transactions also allow small companies to better compete on an international scale. For example, Chinese banks or security houses need to consolidate and attain a large-enough scale to prevent downsizing, said Ernst &amp; Young’s Asia-Pacific IPO Leader Ringo Choi.&nbsp;



China saw its biggest wave of rural bank mergers last year as smaller banks were plagued by weak loan growth and increasing bad loans, according to Reuters’ analysis of government data.



“It no longer makes economic sense for small players to reinvent the wheels again and again just to stay in the game and ultimately, they will not be able to afford that,” said Skybound Capital’s Shou. Chinese companies are competing “too forcefully” with each other, which is lowering their margins, he added.



Corporate consolidations also offer an attractive exit strategy for some of those companies, especially as filing an IPO in the Chinese stock markets becomes increasingly uncertain, Yu said.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><a></a>Fewer regulatory hurdles, more financial means</h2>



Last September, in a bid to enhance deal-making efficiency, the China Securities Regulatory Commission announced that it will simplify its approval processes and cut down the review time for qualified companies. It will also encourage firms to raise capital for their M&amp;A deals in phases.&nbsp;



Previously, deal-makers faced long approval periods and had to contend with extensive information disclosure demands that came with antitrust and data security concerns.



While antitrust laws and hurdles remain, merging filing requirements have relaxed significantly, Yu said. “Many transactions that would otherwise have been subject to merger filing clearance are no longer required to be filed.”



Interest rates in China are also likely to remain at current levels, which may keep M&amp;A costs at a reasonable level, he added.



Companies with a stronger balance sheet and cash piles also have the capacity to buy out firms in a weaker position as a form of investment, said Lah.



Bigger domestic companies are accumulating large reserves of cash, with Chinese-listed firms paying out a record 2.4 trillion yuan in dividends last year. Goldman Sachs estimates that Chinese companies’ cash distribution could hit $3.5 trillion yuan this year to notch a new high.



Big tech companies like Pinduoduo, a Chinese online retailer, currently have a lot of dry powder, which could go into dividend payouts, share buybacks and even M&amp;A, Ernst &amp; Young’s Choi observed.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><a></a>More domestic M&amp;A</h2>



A larger portion of the incoming M&amp;A deals will center around domestic transactions rather than cross-border ones, said Deloitte’s Lah, a sentiment echoed by Shou. Both believe that foreign interest in buying Chinese companies has yet to recover.



Moreover, cross-border M&amp;A activities in the high-tech sector is unlikely because of geopolitical factors, said Yu.



Still, Chinese companies may bail out failing foreign peers by merging with or acquiring them, said Shou.



Domestically, some Chinese companies may opt for joint ventures in attempts to expand to new markets, Shou said. The “really hot sectors” which are doing well, such as technology and green energy, will see money coming in, according to Lah.



Similarly, Zhong Lun Law Firm’s Yu sees many potential consolidation opportunities in industries related to new energy, such as solar and wind energy and nickel mining, among others.



Less competitive industries and companies could also let themselves be bought out as a means to survive, the industry watchers whom CNBC spoke to suggested.



One sector that will experience more deals is “fragmented industries with struggling players,” Lah said, because it’s “difficult to make profits as a small company.”



“They need a bigger scale,” or merge with a company with “bigger performance to survive in this new normal,” he said

108103308-1739836131646-gettyimages-492558314-CHINA_ECONOMY

China deal-making ramps up after years of decline as domestic companies prepare for Trump tariffs

Why President Trump’s meme coin is raising alarm bells

<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="5000" height="3333" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/PIKWK2FQQVOJXDDJQ5VEJMBXA4.avif" alt="" class="wp-image-587900"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">People shop at a hypermarket in Abuja, Nigeria March 15, 2022. REUTERS/Afolabi Sotunde/File Photo</figcaption></figure>



ABUJA, Feb 18 (Reuters)&nbsp;&#8211;&nbsp;Nigeria&#8217;s annual inflation rate stood at 24.48% in January, the statistics agency said on Tuesday, well down from the previous month&#8217;s figure after the country&#8217;s price index was rebased for the first time in more than a decade.



The National Bureau of Statistics said the rebasing &#8211; in which the items in the reference &#8216;basket&#8217; used to calculate inflation were reweighted and the comparison period was updated from 2009 to 2024 &#8211; was necessary to reflect changes in consumption patterns.



&#8220;The price estimate from NBS will be much more reflective of the current inflationary pressure experienced within the economy,&#8221; Statistician-General Prince Adeyemi Adeniran told a press conference.



He said the latest data should not be interpreted as reflecting a sharp slowdown in inflation. Last month, before the rebasing, the statistics bureau put December inflation at 34.80% year on year.



&#8220;It&#8217;s not saying prices have come down in the market to this rate, but the rate of change between 2024 January and 2025 January is what the inflation rate is all about,&#8221; Adeniran said.



The Consumer Price Index is meant to be rebased every five years, but that had not happened in Nigeria since 2009 due to a lack of resources.



The latest rebasing benefited from data and technical support provided by the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and the Central Bank of Nigeria, Adeniran said.



Nevertheless, Razia Khan, chief economist for Africa and Middle East at Standard Chartered, said financial markets had not expected the rebasing would make such a big difference to the headline inflation rate.



She said January&#8217;s lower figure potentially opened the door for an interest rate cut at the central bank&#8217;s monetary policy meeting this week.



The bank raised interest rates by 875 basis points last year, as inflation was driven up by President Bola Tinubu&#8217;s moves to end subsidies and devalue the naira currency. Tinubu&#8217;s administration hopes those reforms will shore up public finances and boost economic growth.



Khan said a 25-basis-point rate cut this week would have little market impact but would at least &#8220;acknowledge local sentiment that policy has been too tight&#8221;.



Food inflation, a key driver of the headline rate, was at 26.08% year on year in January after the rebasing.



(Reporting by Elisha Bala-Gbogbo and Chijioke Ohuocha; Additional reporting by Libby George in London; Editing by Alexander Winning and Angus MacSwan)

PIKWK2FQQVOJXDDJQ5VEJMBXA4

Nigeria’s inflation rate drops after statistics overhauled and updated

<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="2048" height="1366" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/MFT5KPTY55OPPPKFL2CKGKSG2E-scaled.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-587851" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/MFT5KPTY55OPPPKFL2CKGKSG2E-scaled.jpg 2048w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/MFT5KPTY55OPPPKFL2CKGKSG2E-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/MFT5KPTY55OPPPKFL2CKGKSG2E-820x547.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/MFT5KPTY55OPPPKFL2CKGKSG2E-135x90.jpg 135w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/MFT5KPTY55OPPPKFL2CKGKSG2E-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/MFT5KPTY55OPPPKFL2CKGKSG2E-1536x1025.jpg 1536w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">African heads of state and delegates attend the opening of the 38th Ordinary Session of the Heads of State and Government of the African Union at the African Union Commission (AUC) headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, February 15, 2025. REUTERS/Tiksa Negeri/File Photo</figcaption></figure>



ADDIS ABABA, Feb 18 (Reuters)&nbsp;&#8211;&nbsp;African leaders have approved the establishment of a $20 billion continental financial stability fund, the African Development Bank (AfDB) said, a move designed to stave off potential debt crises on the continent before they take hold.



The facility, known as The African Financial Stability Mechanism (AFSM), will get its own credit rating to allow it to borrow on international capital markets, the AfDB, which will host the mechanism, said in a statement seen by Reuters on Tuesday.



African leaders had called for the creation of the fund in February 2022 and mandated the AfDB to carry out preparations to set it up.



The AfDB now intends to move quickly in drafting a formal agreement and securing ratification by states, it said in the statement following an African Union summit in the Ethiopian capital over the weekend.



As well as soaring external commercial repayments and the risk of default, many economies in the region are also grappling with pressure for higher spending, sluggish government revenues, and the effects of climate change.



Creation of the facility was also partly motivated by the fact that Africa lacks its own regional financial cushion, unlike Europe and Asia, which have arrangements of this kind.



&#8220;If implemented as designed, the AFSM can save African sovereigns approximately $20 billion in debt servicing costs by 2035,&#8221; Kevin Urama, an AfDB vice president and its chief economist, told Reuters.



Membership will be voluntary and open to any African Union member country willing to participate.



&#8220;Provision has (also) been made for at least 20% of non-African members provided the African states retain the majority of membership,&#8221; the AfDB said.



African nations face a range of debt pressures, the AfDB says.



Some such as Kenya and Gabon have issued international Eurobonds in recent years and investors have at times questioned their ability to repay.



These concerns led to a steep currency depreciation in Kenya in 2023, and a rating downgrade for Gabon by Fitch last week.



The AFSM will lend money at &#8220;concessional&#8221; rates, the head of the AfDB told Reuters last month, and beneficiaries will commit to defined macroeconomic and fiscal reforms.



&#8220;The core of AFSM&#8217;s mandate is not to support the provision of bailouts to African states but to prevent them,&#8221; said the AfDB.



(Reporting by Dawit Endeshaw in Addis Ababa and Duncan Miriri in Nairobi; Editing by Ammu Kannampilly, Marc Jones and David Holmes)

MFT5KPTY55OPPPKFL2CKGKSG2E

African leaders approve creation of $20 bln financial stability fund

<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="4170" height="2920" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/ZM7ZQQRPDZJBLBYFPTU7SVFCM4.avif" alt="" class="wp-image-587847"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Job seekers stand outside a construction site in Eikenhof, south of Johannesburg, South Africa, June 23, 2020. REUTERS/Siphiwe Sibeko/File Photo&nbsp;</figcaption></figure>



PRETORIA, Feb 18 (Reuters) &#8211; South Africa&#8217;s official unemployment rate fell in the final three months of last year, to 31.9% from 32.1% in the third quarter, data showed on Tuesday.



Unemployment&nbsp;also fell&nbsp;in the previous three-month period.



Four of the 10 industries tracked by Statistics South Africa recorded job gains in the fourth quarter of 2024, with the most jobs added in finance and manufacturing.



The number of unemployed people fell to 7.991 million in October-December last year, compared to 8.011 million in July-September.



An expanded unemployment rate, which includes those discouraged from seeking work, remained unchanged at 41.9%.



(Reporting by Kopano Gumbi; Additional reporting by Bhargav Acharya; Writing by Sfundo Parakozov; Editing by Alexander Winning)

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South Africa’s unemployment rate falls again in fourth quarter

<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="612" height="357" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/istockphoto-1030878162-612x612-1.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-400669" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/istockphoto-1030878162-612x612-1.jpg 612w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/istockphoto-1030878162-612x612-1-300x175.jpg 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 612px) 100vw, 612px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">World map with charts and graphs as symbols of global finance</figcaption></figure>



NAIROBI, Feb 18 (Reuters) &#8211; The following company announcements, scheduled economic indicators, debt and currency market moves and political events may affect African markets on Tuesday.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-global-markets">GLOBAL MARKETS</h2>



European futures hit record peaks on Tuesday as defence stocks soared on expectations of a spending bump, while Hong Kong shares were on the verge of three-year highs as investors cheered business leaders&#8217; meeting with President Xi Jinping.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-world-oil-prices">WORLD OIL PRICES</h2>



Brent crude oil prices paused in early trading on Tuesday after gaining in the previous session following a drone attack on an oil pipeline pumping station in Russia that reduced flows from Kazakhstan.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-south-africa-markets">SOUTH AFRICA MARKETS</h2>



South Africa&#8217;s rand weakened on Monday, ahead of Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana&#8217;s budget speech this week, which will provide insights on the state of Africa&#8217;s most industrialised economy.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-kenya-markets">KENYA MARKETS</h2>



Kenya&#8217;s shilling was little-changed against the dollar on Monday, data from the London Stock Exchange Group showed.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-ethiopia-debt">ETHIOPIA DEBT</h2>



A committee of Ethiopia&#8217;s bondholders said on Monday the International Monetary Fund&#8217;s latest report on the country contained flaws that &#8220;artificially&#8221; outline a solvency issue, a scenario that would require lenders to grant debt relief.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-gabon-debt">GABON DEBT</h2>



Gabon said on Monday that it had agreed to buy back around $225 million of its $605 million Eurobond maturing in 2025.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-democratic-republic-of-congo-security">DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO SECURITY</h2>



Residents of eastern Congo&#8217;s second-largest city on Monday surveyed the aftermath of widespread looting that accompanied the arrival of Rwandan-backed M23 rebels who have pledged to restore order.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-namibia-petroleum">NAMIBIA PETROLEUM</h2>



African energy explorer Rhino Resources&#8217; Sagittarius 1-X well offshore in Namibia&#8217;s Orange Basin has intersected a hydrocarbon reservoir, the company said in a statement on Monday, in an eagerly awaited result for one of the world&#8217;s exploration hotspots.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-angola-oil">ANGOLA OIL</h2>



Angola will load 33 crude oil cargoes in April, according to a trade source citing a preliminary loading programme.



(Compiled by Nairobi Newsroom)

World map with charts and graphs as symbols of global finance

African Markets – Factors to watch on Feb 18

<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1080" height="720" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/RGENMVFBKFNCJPXWG4EPKO7ZPA.avif" alt="" class="wp-image-587782"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Scientific officer Anathi Nkayi works in the research lab at the University of Cape Town&#8217;s Institute of Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine, in Cape Town, South Africa February 17, 2025. REUTERS/Esa Alexander</figcaption></figure>



JOHANNESBURG, Feb 18 (Reuters)&nbsp;&#8211;&nbsp;South African lab technician Nozipho Mlotshwa was waiting for the test results for a potential HIV vaccine, which has eluded scientists for decades, when the order came from USAID to stop work.



The first round of vaccines she and her colleagues made in Johannesburg had produced an immune response in rabbits, which was promising but not conclusive &#8211; so they tweaked the formula and sent off four new versions for pre-clinical tests.



&#8220;This was very exciting. We were getting quite good results,&#8221; Mlotshwa, 32, told Reuters in the lab in the Antiviral Gene Therapy Research Unit at the city&#8217;s University of the Witwatersrand.



Now the animal blood samples containing their results are sitting untouched in a freezer.



A trial of an earlier, separate vaccine candidate, which was about to be tested on humans in South Africa as well as Kenya and Uganda, is also on ice.



Both trials are among the casualties of U.S. President Donald Trump&#8217;s decision to dismantle the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).



They are part of a wider South African-led HIV vaccine development scheme known as BRILLIANT and funded entirely by a $45 million grant from USAID. It is unclear if or when the project could resume. The U.S. State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.



&#8220;It feels like you&#8217;re building something and you could really make a huge difference,&#8221; Nigel Garrett, Chief Scientific Officer at the Desmond Tutu Health Foundation, a partner in the project, said.



&#8220;And then it&#8217;s wiped away.&#8221;



The project is one of many research efforts worldwide to be hit by Trump&#8217;s actions since taking office last month. Others include halting efforts to protect food crops from pests and diseases and blocking publication of a paper on the mpox outbreak.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-holy-grail">&#8216;HOLY GRAIL&#8217;</h2>



HIV&#8217;s ability to mutate quickly has confounded efforts to create a vaccine ever since it was first identified in 1983. The researchers in Johannesburg are using the mRNA technology that created some COVID-19 vaccines.



Several other mRNA-based HIV vaccine candidates worldwide have reached clinical trials. BRILLIANT is unique in being Africa-led, aiming to develop capacity for producing vaccines in Africa.



For the past year the Johannesburg team had been working with genetic sequences from two South African patients who have HIV but whose bodies produce a rare type of antibody that neutralizes the virus. They are trying to simulate that immune response.



&#8220;We were gaining momentum,&#8221; said Patrick Arbuthnot, director of the research unit, adding: &#8220;an HIV vaccine is the holy grail of the field&#8221;.



Trump in January ordered a 90-day pause in all foreign development assistance pending assessment of its consistency with his &#8220;America First&#8221; foreign policy.



Separately, he has targeted South Africa with an executive order to cut all funding to the country, citing disapproval of its land reform policy and its genocide case against U.S. ally Israel.



The U.S. foreign aid freeze has affected programmes across the globe, stranding shipments of life-saving medical supplies, including HIV drugs, and leaving disaster response teams unable to deploy. Waivers for &#8220;life-saving humanitarian assistance&#8221; have been hampered.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-good-for-the-world">&#8216;GOOD FOR THE WORLD&#8217;</h2>



Because South Africa has the world&#8217;s largest population of people living with HIV, at more than 8 million, it is a hub for research on the virus.



&#8220;Most of the landmark and groundbreaking studies have been conducted in this country. But these have been good for the whole world,&#8221; said Ntobeko Ntusi, CEO of the South African Medical Research Council, which is spearheading the HIV vaccine search.



Ntusi said he did not expect funding for projects like BRILLIANT to resume, given the executive order on aid to South Africa. The council gets about a third of its funding from U.S. federal sources, for research that is mostly on HIV and tuberculosis but covers other areas including maternal and infant mortality and antimicrobial resistance, he said.



Garrett said the shot that was ready for testing on humans was a mix of two vaccine substances developed in the United States and the Netherlands which have shown promise but never been tested together.



They are now sitting in storage.



&#8220;We had a huge opportunity, good funding. It&#8217;s difficult for other funders to fill that gap,&#8221; he said.



(Additional reporting by Catherine Schenck and Shafiek Tassiem; Editing by Tim Cocks and Aidan Lewis)

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Trump’s aid cuts stop South African HIV vaccine trials in their tracks

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="547" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/107392987-17114704652024-03-08t094552z_60519508_rc2ao0aauku6_rtrmadp_0_cocoa-ivorycoast-820x547.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-587761" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/107392987-17114704652024-03-08t094552z_60519508_rc2ao0aauku6_rtrmadp_0_cocoa-ivorycoast-820x547.jpeg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/107392987-17114704652024-03-08t094552z_60519508_rc2ao0aauku6_rtrmadp_0_cocoa-ivorycoast-300x200.jpeg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/107392987-17114704652024-03-08t094552z_60519508_rc2ao0aauku6_rtrmadp_0_cocoa-ivorycoast-135x90.jpeg 135w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/107392987-17114704652024-03-08t094552z_60519508_rc2ao0aauku6_rtrmadp_0_cocoa-ivorycoast-768x512.jpeg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/107392987-17114704652024-03-08t094552z_60519508_rc2ao0aauku6_rtrmadp_0_cocoa-ivorycoast-1536x1024.jpeg 1536w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/107392987-17114704652024-03-08t094552z_60519508_rc2ao0aauku6_rtrmadp_0_cocoa-ivorycoast-scaled.jpeg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Cocoa pods are pictured at a farm in Sinfra, Ivory Coast April 29, 2023.  Luc Gnago | Reuters</figcaption></figure>



Strong rains across Ivory Coast’s central regions are expected to strengthen cocoa trees and improve growing conditions for the April-to-September mid-crop, farmers said on Monday.



Ivory Coast, the world’s top producer of the main ingredient in chocolate, is in the dry season that runs from mid-November to March when rains are scarce.



Farmers had been worried that the hot weather would delay the start of the mid-crop season and tighten bean supply before the country’s central regions received above-average rains last week.



Farmers said they were now happy because the moisture was expected to help young pods to survive. They added that another rain was needed before the end of the month to improve the yield of cocoa trees.



“Trees will do better. Many cocoa trees had become weak due to lack of water,” said Etienne Brou, who farms near the central region of Yamoussoukro, where 18.2 millimetres (mm) of rain fell last week, 11.3 mm above the five-year average.



Similar comments were made in the central region of Bongouanou, where rainfall was above average, and in the west-central region of Daloa, where rains were below average but farmers said the moisture level was sufficient to help cocoa trees.



Farmers from the western region of Soubre and the southern region of Divo, where rains were below average, and farmers from the southern region of Agboville and the eastern region of Abengourou, where rains were above average, said growing conditions remained good with plenty of cherelles turning into small pods.



Farmers in those regions added that if rains became regular from March, the mid-crop would be as abundant as last season.



“If we have good rains from March onwards, we’ll have enough beans for the mid-crop,” said Kouassi Kouame, who farms near Soubre, where 1.2 mm of rain fell last week, 7.2 mm below the average.



The weekly average temperature across Ivory Coast last week ranged from 27.8 to 33.2 degrees Celsius.

107392987-17114704652024-03-08t094552z_60519508_rc2ao0aauku6_rtrmadp_0_cocoa-ivorycoast

Ivory Coast rains revive cocoa farmers’ hopes for healthy mid-crop

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Why President Trump’s meme coin is raising alarm bells

Nigeria’s inflation rate drops after statistics overhauled and updated

African leaders approve creation of $20 bln financial stability fund

South Africa’s unemployment rate falls again in fourth quarter

African Markets – Factors to watch on Feb 18

Trump’s aid cuts stop South African HIV vaccine trials in their tracks

Ivory Coast rains revive cocoa farmers’ hopes for healthy mid-crop

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South African budget postponed over lack of agreement

South Africa’s DA says budget postponed due to its opposition to VAT increase

South Africa’s white farmers would be among victims if Trump ends growth bill

S. Africa’s Ramaphosa Calls Urgent Cabinet Meeting over budget

Rwanda’s international bond plunges as concerns over M23 rebels mount

Qualcomm and Volvo CEOs talk the next chapter for AI and driverless cars

UK inflation leaps to higher-than-expected 3% in January

South African rand steady ahead of national budget

China deal-making ramps up after years of decline as domestic companies prepare for Trump tariffs

Why President Trump’s meme coin is raising alarm bells

Nigeria’s inflation rate drops after statistics overhauled and updated

African leaders approve creation of $20 bln financial stability fund

South Africa’s unemployment rate falls again in fourth quarter

African Markets – Factors to watch on Feb 18

Trump’s aid cuts stop South African HIV vaccine trials in their tracks

Ivory Coast rains revive cocoa farmers’ hopes for healthy mid-crop

Vinyl records have a pressing problem — toxic chemicals and a high carbon footprint

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