<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="538" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/2ULCJYYHB5OH5O2DRQ44X3IBDI-820x538.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-512465" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/2ULCJYYHB5OH5O2DRQ44X3IBDI-820x538.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/2ULCJYYHB5OH5O2DRQ44X3IBDI-300x197.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/2ULCJYYHB5OH5O2DRQ44X3IBDI-137x90.jpg 137w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/2ULCJYYHB5OH5O2DRQ44X3IBDI-768x504.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/2ULCJYYHB5OH5O2DRQ44X3IBDI-1536x1008.jpg 1536w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/2ULCJYYHB5OH5O2DRQ44X3IBDI-scaled.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">FILE PHOTO: A man counts Ethiopia&#8217;s birr notes in Merkato, one of Africa&#8217;s biggest open air market, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, April 25, 2024. REUTERS/Tiksa Negeri/File Photo</figcaption></figure>



ADDIS ABABA, July 29 (Reuters)&nbsp;&#8211;&nbsp;Ethiopia&#8217;s central bank floated the birr currency on Monday, a move it hopes will secure International Monetary Fund (IMF) support and&nbsp;enable&nbsp;progress on a long-delayed debt restructuring.



The birr&#8217;s value against the U.S. dollar slumped by 30% to 74.73 per dollar, the country&#8217;s biggest lender, Commercial Bank of Ethiopia said. The currency had been trading at 57.48 birr to the dollar on Friday.



The Horn of Africa nation, which has been struggling with soaring inflation and chronic foreign currency shortages, became the third economy on the continent in as many years to default on its government debt last December.



It has been in talks with the IMF to establish a new lending programme after the last programme,&nbsp;agreed in 2019,&nbsp;was abandoned due to conflict in the northern region of Tigray. Negotiations resumed after a November 2022 peace deal.



The central bank said in a statement on the float that &#8220;banks are henceforth allowed to buy and sell foreign currencies from/to their clients and among themselves at freely negotiated rates&#8221; and that it would only make &#8220;limited interventions&#8221; in the FX markets going forward.



The reforms were initially announced by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed late on Sunday.



Central bank governor Mamo Mihretu said in an online video that,&nbsp;as part of the reforms, Ethiopia would get $10.7 billion in external financing from the IMF, the World Bank, and other creditors.



&#8220;The IMF and World Bank are both providing exceptional and front-loaded funding support that will be among their highest such allocations in the African continent,&#8221; he said.



Importers, who had been relying on the black market to secure dollars, expressed relief at the central bank&#8217;s move.



&#8220;Now I don&#8217;t need to go to black market to buy or sell dollars. It is now a market-based foreign exchange regime, so (we) will buy or sell based on the legal channels,&#8221; said a businessman in the capital Addis Ababa, who did not want to be named.



The IMF did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The fund&#8217;s executive board was scheduled to meet on Monday to discuss a new programme for Ethiopia, Bloomberg news agency reported. Reuters could not confirm the meeting.



Ethiopia&#8217;s main $1 billion dollar government bond edged higher to reach 75.42 cents on the dollar by 1400 GMT, its highest level since early 2022.



The United States welcomed the shift.



&#8220;Market-based FX is a difficult, but necessary step for Ethiopia to address macroeconomic distortions,&#8221; the U.S embassy in Addis Ababa posted on social media platform X.



Ethiopia, Africa&#8217;s second-most populous country, requested a debt restructuring under the Group of 20&#8217;s Common Framework process in early 2021, but&nbsp;the war in Tigray slowed&nbsp;progress.



The government previously announced other reforms that analysts say are linked to the IMF talks, including adopting an interest rate-based monetary policy earlier this month.



Some said the longer-term impact of the devaluation was less clear.



&#8220;The consequences of exchange rate regime change will take some time to be reflected on the economy,&#8221; Abdulmenan Mohammed, an Ethiopian economic analyst based in Britain, told Reuters. He said it could result in an increased cost of living &#8220;which will mainly affect the urban poor, the jobless, the pensioners, the low-paid employees.&#8221;



(Reporting by Dawit Endeshaw; Additional reporting by George Obulutsa in Nairobi and Marc Jones in London; Writing by Duncan Miriri; Editing by Ros Russell and Angus MacSwan)

Ethiopia’s economy struggles due to shortage of foreign currency

Ethiopia’s birr drops 30% as central bank floats currency

<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="720" height="405" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/107427541-1718145095655-gettyimages-2157186260-img_9260_rfb2tx0a.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-512447" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/107427541-1718145095655-gettyimages-2157186260-img_9260_rfb2tx0a.jpeg 720w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/107427541-1718145095655-gettyimages-2157186260-img_9260_rfb2tx0a-300x169.jpeg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/107427541-1718145095655-gettyimages-2157186260-img_9260_rfb2tx0a-160x90.jpeg 160w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Photo: via CNBC</figcaption></figure>



An important gauge for the Federal Reserve showed inflation eased slightly from a year ago in June, helping to open the way for a widely anticipated September interest rate cut.



The personal consumption expenditures price index increased 0.1% on the month and was up 2.5% from a year ago, in line with Dow Jones estimates, the Commerce Department reported Friday. The year-over-year gain in May was 2.6%, while the monthly measure was unchanged.



Fed officials use the PCE measure as their main baseline to gauge inflation, which continues to run above the central bank’s 2% long-range target.



Core inflation, which excludes food and energy, showed a monthly increase of 0.2% and 2.6% on the year, both also in line with expectations. Policymakers focus even more on core as a better gauge of longer-run trends as gas and groceries costs tend to fluctuate more than other items.



Stock market futures indicated a positive open on Wall Street following the release while Treasury yields moved lower. Futures markets price in a more aggressive path for Fed interest rate cuts.



“A two-word summary of the report is, ‘good enough,’” said Robert Frick, corporate economist with Navy Federal Credit Union. “Spending is good enough to maintain the expansion, and income is good enough to maintain spending, and the level of PCE inflation is good enough to make the decision to cut rates easy for the Fed.”



Goods prices fell 0.2% on the month while services increased 0.2%. Housing-related prices in June rose 0.3%, a slight deceleration from the 0.4% increase in each of the last three months and the smallest monthly gain going back at least to January 2023.



The report also indicated that personal income rose just 0.2%, below the 0.4% estimate. Spending increased 0.3%, meeting the forecast.



As spending held relatively strong, the savings rate decreased to 3.4%, hitting its lowest level since November 2022.



The report comes with markets paying close attention to which way the Fed is headed on monetary policy.



There’s little expectation that the rate-setting Federal Open Market Committee will make any moves at its policy meeting next Tuesday and Wednesday. However, market pricing is pointing strongly to a rate cut at the September meeting, which would be the first reduction since the early days of the Covid pandemic.



“Overall, it’s been a good week for the Fed. The economy appears to be on solid ground, and PCE inflation essentially remained steady,” said Chris Larkin, managing director of trading and investing at E-Trade Morgan Stanley. “But a rate cut next week remains a longshot. And while there’s plenty of time for the economic picture to change before the September FOMC meeting, the numbers have been trending in the Fed’s direction.”



As inflation rose to its highest level in more than 40 years in mid-2022, the Fed embarked on a series of aggressive hikes that took its benchmark borrowing rate to its highest level in some 23 years. However, the Fed has been on pause for the past year as it evaluates fluctuating data that earlier this year showed a resurgence in inflation but lately has displayed a gradual cooling that has many policymakers discussing the likelihood of at least one cut this year.



Futures markets have priced in about a 90% chance of a September reduction followed by cuts at both the November and December FOMC meetings, according to the CME Group’s FedWatch measure.



Fed officials, though, have been cautious in their remarks and have stressed that there is no set policy path, with data guiding the way.

107427541-1718145095655-gettyimages-2157186260-img_9260_rfb2tx0a

Fed’s key inflation gauge rose 2.5% in June from a year ago, easing path to rate cut

How The Massive Power Draw Of Generative AI Is Overtaxing Our Grid

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<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="2048" height="1387" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/QHXVUHX3MJJHRDRSFYCEORRMQ4-2-1-scaled.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-469888" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/QHXVUHX3MJJHRDRSFYCEORRMQ4-2-1-scaled.jpg 2048w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/QHXVUHX3MJJHRDRSFYCEORRMQ4-2-1-300x203.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/QHXVUHX3MJJHRDRSFYCEORRMQ4-2-1-820x555.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/QHXVUHX3MJJHRDRSFYCEORRMQ4-2-1-133x90.jpg 133w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/QHXVUHX3MJJHRDRSFYCEORRMQ4-2-1-768x520.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/QHXVUHX3MJJHRDRSFYCEORRMQ4-2-1-1536x1040.jpg 1536w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">People walk past the Bank of Ghana in Accra, Ghana, November 28, 2018. REUTERS/Zohra Bensemra/File Photo</figcaption></figure>



ACCRA, July 26 (Reuters) &#8211; Ghana&#8217;s central bank held its main interest rate steady at 29% for the third meeting in a row on Friday, saying a strong monetary stance was needed due to uncertainty over the inflation outlook.



Economists polled by Reuters before Friday&#8217;s announcement predicted a 50-basis-point cut in its main rate. They expect Ghana to finish the year with interest rates 200 basis points lower.



&#8220;Even though inflation is expected to remain within the target year band, the risks have tilted slightly on the upside,&#8221; Bank of Ghana Governor Ernest Addison told a news conference.



&#8220;This will require maintaining a strong monetary policy stance, supported by strong fiscal consolidation efforts,&#8221; Addison said.



He added that there was some uncertainty regarding the inflation path for the year given the recent exchange rate pressures, upward adjustment in utility tariffs, and increases in export fuel prices.



Ghana&#8217;s consumer inflation slowed last month to 22.8% year on year in June from 23.1% in May, but it remains well above the central bank&#8217;s 8% target with a margin of error of 2 percentage points either side.



Finance minister Mohammed Amin Adam said on Tuesday the West African nation would be able to reach the target for the year of 15% by the end of 2024, adding that its economy was rebounding faster than expected.



&#8220;The central bank is clearly reacting to the stalling disinflation during the first half of 2024, which has put both its short- and medium-term inflation targets at risk,&#8221; said Leslie Dwight Mensah, economist and research fellow at the Institute for Fiscal Studies in Accra.



&#8220;The decision has also been made with an eye on the cedi exchange rate, which has had a bad run in recent months and remains prone to depreciation given the economy&#8217;s limited foreign financing options,&#8221; Mensah said.



The West African cocoa, gold and oil producer has been restructuring its $30 billion debt in an attempt to emerge from its worst economic crisis in a generation.



Central bank governor Addison said economic activity in Ghana remained resilient in the context of a generally tight policy stance.



Ghana&#8217;s trade balance improved in the first half of the year, driven by higher exports of gold and crude oil, he said.



Strong gold output, and soaring prices helped Ghana earn more from the precious metal in the first half of 2024.



&#8220;The value of gold exports increased by 46.4% to $5.04 billion, while earnings from crude oil increased to $2 billion from $1.7 billion in the same period last year,&#8221; Addison said.



(Reporting by Christian Akorlie, additonal reporting by Maxwell Akalaare Adombila Writing by Anait MiridzhanianEditing by Bate Felix, William Maclean and Ros Russell)

People walk past the Bank of Ghana in Accra

Bank of Ghana keeps main rate unchanged over inflation concerns

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="576" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/OHD5J7KDHJJKBG6Q7MD3YOK36E-820x576.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-425778" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/OHD5J7KDHJJKBG6Q7MD3YOK36E-820x576.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/OHD5J7KDHJJKBG6Q7MD3YOK36E-300x211.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/OHD5J7KDHJJKBG6Q7MD3YOK36E-128x90.jpg 128w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/OHD5J7KDHJJKBG6Q7MD3YOK36E-768x540.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/OHD5J7KDHJJKBG6Q7MD3YOK36E-1536x1079.jpg 1536w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/OHD5J7KDHJJKBG6Q7MD3YOK36E-scaled.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">FILE PHOTO: Nigeria&#8217;s President Bola Tinubu waves to a crowd as he takes the traditional ride on top of a ceremonial vehicle, after his swearing-in ceremony in Abuja, Nigeria May 29, 2023. REUTERS/Temilade Adelaja/File Photo</figcaption></figure>



ABUJA, July 26 (Reuters)&nbsp;&#8211;&nbsp;Nigeria plans to issue a diaspora bond of up to $500 million, its Finance Minister Olawale Edun said, as part of its strategy to stabilise and grow the economy.



The domestic dollar-denominated bond, set for issuance in the third quarter, aims to attract investment from Nigerians living abroad and those with savings held overseas, but also to demonstrate the strength and resilience of the economy amidst ongoing economic reforms.



Nigeria&#8217;s move to issue the securities comes in the wake of ongoing reforms by President Bola Tinubu, which have seen significant strides including a projected budget deficit of 4% this year, Edun said in a statement late on Thursday.



Since taking office a little over a year ago, Tinubu has instituted landmark reforms cheered by investors, including slashing costly petrol and electricity subsidies and twice devaluing the naira currency with a year.



Edun said the reforms, and the issuance of securities as an integral part of them, represent a concerted push by the government to boost inclusive growth, potentially lifting millions out of poverty while attracting domestic and foreign investments.



(Writing by Elisha Bala-Gbogbo; Editing by Sharon Singleton)

FILE PHOTO: Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu waves to a crowd as he takes the traditional ride on top of a ceremonial vehicle after his swearing-in ceremony in Abuja

Nigeria to launch $500 million diaspora bond in economic growth push

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="547" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/GettyImages-924883576-1-820x547.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-422955" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/GettyImages-924883576-1-820x547.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/GettyImages-924883576-1-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/GettyImages-924883576-1-135x90.jpg 135w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/GettyImages-924883576-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/GettyImages-924883576-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/GettyImages-924883576-1-scaled.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Uganda shillings. Uganda. (Photo by: Godong/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)</figcaption></figure>



KAMPALA, July 26 (Reuters) &#8211; The Ugandan shilling was steady on Friday, but was expected to weaken on the back of increased demand for dollars from commercial banks, traders said.



At 0813 GMT, commercial banks quoted the shilling at 3,735/3,745, compared with Thursday&#8217;s closing rate of 3,732/3,742.



(Reporting by Elias Biryabarema; Editing by George Obulutsa)

GettyImages-924883576-1

Ugandan shilling stable; to ease due to commercial bank FX demand

<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="720" height="425" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/ANCK25OQIFMHTJYACOM5XU5T24.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-498541" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/ANCK25OQIFMHTJYACOM5XU5T24.jpg 720w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/ANCK25OQIFMHTJYACOM5XU5T24-300x177.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/ANCK25OQIFMHTJYACOM5XU5T24-152x90.jpg 152w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Kenya shilling coins and notes are pictured inside a cashier&#8217;s booth at a forex exchange bureau in Kenya&#8217;s capital Nairobi, April 20, 2016. REUTERS/Thomas Mukoya/File Photo</figcaption></figure>



NAIROBI, July 26 (Reuters) &#8211; Kenya&#8217;s shilling gained ground on Friday, helped by dollar inflows from tea exporters, trader said.



At 0808 GMT, commercial banks quoted the shilling at 131.50/132.50, compared with Thursday&#8217;s closing rate of 132.50/133.50.



The central bank has also sold dollars during the week, traders said, helping to support the shilling.



(Reporting by George Obulutsa; Editing by Duncan Miriri)

ANCK25OQIFMHTJYACOM5XU5T24

Kenya shilling firms, tea export dollar inflows help

<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="929" height="523" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/108009036-1721398542475-gettyimages-2162004949-AA_19072024_1780984.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-511432" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/108009036-1721398542475-gettyimages-2162004949-AA_19072024_1780984.jpeg 929w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/108009036-1721398542475-gettyimages-2162004949-AA_19072024_1780984-300x169.jpeg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/108009036-1721398542475-gettyimages-2162004949-AA_19072024_1780984-820x462.jpeg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/108009036-1721398542475-gettyimages-2162004949-AA_19072024_1780984-160x90.jpeg 160w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/108009036-1721398542475-gettyimages-2162004949-AA_19072024_1780984-768x432.jpeg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 929px) 100vw, 929px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">The blue screen of death errors on computer screens are viewed due to the global communications outage caused by CrowdStrike, which provides cyber security services to US technology company Microsoft, on July 19, 2024 in Ankara, Turkey.  Harun Ozalp | Anadolu | Getty Images</figcaption></figure>



CrowdStrike CEO George Kurtz said that over 97% of Windows sensors are back online after an update from the cybersecurity firm caused one of the world’s biggest IT outages.



“To our customers still affected, please know we will not rest until we achieve full recovery,” Kurtz said in a LinkedIn post on Thursday.



Last week, CrowdStrike issued a routine update to its users around the world — which mainly comprise large businesses — that had a bug which caused Microsoft’s Windows operating system to crash.



Many users woke up on Friday to a blue screen error on Windows. The IT outage sparked chaos around the world, with flights being cancelled, businesses closing early and even medical staff scrambling to keep operations running.



CrowdStrike rolled back the update to fix the issue.



The company’s share price has been hammered since the incident, as CEO Kurtz looks to contain the reputational fallout.



“I am deeply sorry for the disruption this outage has caused and personally apologize to everyone impacted. While I can’t promise perfection, I can promise a response that is focused, effective, and with a sense of urgency,” he wrote on LinkedIn.



To apologize for the incident, CrowdStrike sent Uber Eats gift cards to “teammates and partners who have been helping customers through this situation,” a company spokesperson told CNBC.



TechCrunch previously reported the news and added that some people were having trouble using the gift card.



“Uber flagged it as fraud because of high usage rates,” a CrowdStrike spokesperson said.

108009036-1721398542475-gettyimages-2162004949-AA_19072024_1780984

CrowdStrike CEO says 97% of Windows sensors back online after major outage

<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="728" height="444" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/UXGWX6XZO5LIROPXQDLPV6SPGA.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-422268" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/UXGWX6XZO5LIROPXQDLPV6SPGA.jpg 728w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/UXGWX6XZO5LIROPXQDLPV6SPGA-300x183.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/UXGWX6XZO5LIROPXQDLPV6SPGA-148x90.jpg 148w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 728px) 100vw, 728px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">South African Rand coins are seen in this illustration picture taken October 28, 2020. REUTERS/Mike Hutchings</figcaption></figure>



JOHANNESBURG, July 26 (Reuters)&nbsp;&#8211;&nbsp;The South African rand gained in early trade on Friday, as markets focused on a key U.S. inflation reading that could offer more cues on the Federal Reserve&#8217;s future interest rate path.



At 0730 GMT, the rand traded at 18.26 against the dollar, about 0.6% stronger than its previous close.



The U.S. personal consumption expenditure data for June &#8211; the Fed&#8217;s favoured measure of inflation &#8211; is due later on Friday and could give hints on the timing of interest rate cuts in the world&#8217;s biggest economy.



Data out of the U.S. on Thursday showed that the economy grew faster than expected in the second quarter, but inflation pressures subsided, leaving intact expectations of a September rate cut.



Like other risk-sensitive currencies, the rand often takes cues from global drivers such as U.S. economic data and monetary policy in addition to local factors.



On the Johannesburg Stock Exchange, the blue-chip Top-40 index was little changed in early trade.



South Africa&#8217;s benchmark 2030 government bond was slightly stronger in early deals, as the yield slipped 2.3 basis points to 9.452%.



(Reporting by Tannur Anders; Editing by Sharon Singleton)

South African Rand coins are seen in this illustration picture

South African rand gains, focus on US inflation data

<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, July 26 (Reuters) &#8211; The following company announcements, scheduled economic indicators, debt and currency market moves and political events may affect African markets on Friday.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-events">EVENTS:</h2>



*Ghana&#8217;s central bank is due to announce its latest benchmark lending rate decision.



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



The yen stabilized near a 12-week high against the dollar on Friday while Asia-Pacific equity markets remained on the back foot a day after their worst session since mid-April.



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



Oil prices rose slightly on Friday but remained on track for a third straight week of decline due to weak demand in China, the world&#8217;s largest crude importer, and expectations of a ceasefire deal for the Gaza war and related violence in the Middle East.



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



The South African rand strengthened against a weaker dollar on Thursday, after U.S. economic data readings left intact expectations of an interest rate cut by the Federal Reserve in September.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-africa-economy">AFRICA ECONOMY</h2>



Inflation in key sub-Saharan African economies is unlikely to slow to targets even after recent aggressive interest rate hikes as central banks look to reverse those increases, a Reuters poll found.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-africa-currencies">AFRICA CURRENCIES</h2>



Kenyan and Ugandan shilling are expected to be stable against the dollar in the next week to Thursday, while Ghana&#8217;s cedi and Zambia&#8217;s kwacha are seen weakening and Nigeria&#8217;s naira could strengthen, traders said.



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



Kenya&#8217;s shilling was stable on Thursday, but could to come under pressure due to offshore dollar demand, while any sales by the central bank could give it a boost, traders said.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-kenya-politics">KENYA POLITICS</h2>



Kenyan police detained several people on Thursday who attempted to present a petition to the president&#8217;s office and lay flowers to honour those killed a month ago on the most violent day of anti-government protests, protesters said.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-zimbabwe-budget">ZIMBABWE BUDGET</h2>



Zimbabwe&#8217;s 2024 budget deficit is forecast to be 1.3% of gross domestic product, Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube said on Thursday, but warned that concerns remained over the impact of a drought on finances



((Compiled by Nairobi Newsroom))

World map with charts and graphs as symbols of global finance

African Markets – Factors to watch on July 26

<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="612" height="408" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/istockphoto-1076949610-612x612-1.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-400697" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/istockphoto-1076949610-612x612-1.jpg 612w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/istockphoto-1076949610-612x612-1-300x200.jpg 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 612px) 100vw, 612px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Double exposure of coin stack with city background and world map, financial graph, world map and global network business concept idea, element by NASA.</figcaption></figure>



JOHANNESBURG, July 26 (Reuters)&nbsp;&#8211;&nbsp;The following economic event, equity and currency market moves may affect South African markets on Friday.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-economic-events">ECONOMIC EVENTS</h2>



South Africa&#8217;s government will hold its weekly auction of inflation-linked bonds.



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



The South African rand strengthened against a weaker dollar on Thursday, after U.S. economic data readings left intact expectations of an interest rate cut by the Federal Reserve in September.



On the stock market, the Top-40 index closed 0.12% higher.



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



The yen stabilized near a 12-week high against the dollar on Friday while Asia-Pacific equity markets remained on the back foot a day after their worst session since mid-April.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-wall-street">WALL STREET</h2>



The S&amp;P 500 and Nasdaq Composite ended a fickle session weaker on Thursday, failing to regain ground lost in the previous day&#8217;s tech-triggered sell-off as investors grappled with the likely direction of megacaps.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-gold">GOLD</h2>



Gold was on track for a weekly loss, even as prices firmed on Friday ahead of a key U.S. inflation reading that could offer more cues on when the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates.



&#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211;



Some of the main stories out in the South African press:



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-business-day">BUSINESS DAY</h2>



&#8211; SA banks face nearly R1-trillion exposure to energy transition risks



&#8211; SA pushes for relaxation of Agoa eligibility criteria



(Compiled by Tannur Anders)

istockphoto-1076949610-612×612-1

South African Markets -Factors to watch on July 26

<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="2048" height="1366" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/107418094-1716321352537-gettyimages-2153474140-AFP_34TH9TC-scaled.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-511392" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/107418094-1716321352537-gettyimages-2153474140-AFP_34TH9TC-scaled.jpeg 2048w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/107418094-1716321352537-gettyimages-2153474140-AFP_34TH9TC-300x200.jpeg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/107418094-1716321352537-gettyimages-2153474140-AFP_34TH9TC-820x547.jpeg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/107418094-1716321352537-gettyimages-2153474140-AFP_34TH9TC-135x90.jpeg 135w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/107418094-1716321352537-gettyimages-2153474140-AFP_34TH9TC-768x512.jpeg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/107418094-1716321352537-gettyimages-2153474140-AFP_34TH9TC-1536x1024.jpeg 1536w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Photo: via CNBC</figcaption></figure>



OpenAI on Thursday announced a prototype of its search engine, called SearchGPT, which aims to give users “fast and timely answers with clear and relevant sources.”



The company said it eventually plans to integrate the tool, which is currently being tested with a small group of users, into its ChatGPT chatbot.



The rollout could have implications for Google and its dominant search engine. Since the launch of ChatGPT in November 2022, Alphabet investors have been concerned that OpenAI could take market share from Google in search by giving consumers new ways to seek information online. 



With this prototype, OpenAI is testing the waters for doing just that, promising users the chance to “search in a more natural, intuitive way” and ask follow-up questions “just like you would in a conversation.”



“We think there is room to make search much better than it is today,” OpenAI CEO Sam Altman wrote Thursday in a post on X.



Alphabet shares fell more than 3% on Thursday to close at $167.28, while the Nasdaq was down less than 1%.



In May, Google launched AI Overview, which CEO Sundar Pichai called the biggest change in search in 25 years, to a limited audience, allowing users to see a summary of answers to queries at the very top of Google Search.



Though Google had been working on AI Overview for more than a year, public criticism mounted after  users quickly noticed that queries returned nonsensical or inaccurate results within the AI feature — without any way to opt out.



“Google has been kind of shaking in their boots a little bit since this stuff first popped off,” said Daniel Faggella, founder and head of research at Emerj Artificial Intelligence Research, referring to generative artificial intelligence. “We haven’t seem their company crumble in the interim, but we have seen them kind of fumble.”&nbsp;



The SearchGPT announcement follows OpenAI’s launch last Thursday of a new AI model, “GPT-4o mini.” The new model is an offshoot of GPT-4o, the startup’s fastest and most powerful model to date, which it launched in May during a livestreamed event with executives. 



OpenAI, backed by Microsoft, has been valued at more than $80 billion by investors. The company, founded in 2015, is under pressure to stay on top of the generative AI market while finding ways to make money as it spends massive sums on processors and infrastructure to build and train its models.



Last Month, OpenAI announced the hiring of two top executives as well as a partnership with Apple that includes a ChatGPT-Siri integration. Sarah Friar, previously CEO of Nextdoor and finance chief at Square, joined as chief financial officer, and Kevin Weil, an ex-president at Planet Labs and former senior vice president at Twitter and a vice president at Facebook and Instagram, joined as chief product officer.



OpenAI is bolstering its C-suite as its large language models gain importance across the tech sector and as competition rapidly emerges in the burgeoning generative AI market.&nbsp;



Both OpenAI’s new mini AI model and the prototype of SearchGPT are also part of the company’s push to be at the forefront of “multimodality,” or the ability to offer a wide range of types of AI-generated media, like text, images, audio, video and search, inside one tool: ChatGPT.



For SearchGPT, OpenAI’s blog post said the tool’s visual results will lead to “richer understanding” for users.



Last year, OpenAI Chief Operating Officer Brad Lightcap told CNBC, “The world is multimodal.” He added that as humans “engage with the world, we see things, we hear things, we say things,” so limiting interactions to text is insufficient.

107418094-1716321352537-gettyimages-2153474140-AFP_34TH9TC

OpenAI announces a search engine called SearchGPT; Alphabet shares dip

<figure class="wp-block-image size-full is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1920" height="1080" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/108004882-1720728328098-gettyimages-2161665996-economy451659_szz6uf7k.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-511374" style="width:840px;height:auto" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/108004882-1720728328098-gettyimages-2161665996-economy451659_szz6uf7k.jpeg 1920w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/108004882-1720728328098-gettyimages-2161665996-economy451659_szz6uf7k-300x169.jpeg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/108004882-1720728328098-gettyimages-2161665996-economy451659_szz6uf7k-820x461.jpeg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/108004882-1720728328098-gettyimages-2161665996-economy451659_szz6uf7k-160x90.jpeg 160w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/108004882-1720728328098-gettyimages-2161665996-economy451659_szz6uf7k-768x432.jpeg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/108004882-1720728328098-gettyimages-2161665996-economy451659_szz6uf7k-1536x864.jpeg 1536w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Photo: via CNBC</figcaption></figure>



Economic activity in the U.S. was considerably stronger than expected during the second quarter, boosted by a strong consumer, government spending and a sizeable inventory build, according to an initial estimate Thursday from the Commerce Department.



Real gross domestic product, a measure of all the goods and services produced during the April-through-June period, increased at a 2.8% annualized pace adjusted for seasonality and inflation. Economists surveyed by Dow Jones had been looking for growth of 2.1% following a 1.4% rise in the first quarter.



Consumer spending helped propel the growth number higher, as did contributions from private inventory investment and nonresidential fixed investment, according to the first of three estimates the department will provide.



Personal consumption expenditures, the main proxy in the Bureau of Economic Analysis report for consumer activity, increased 2.3% for the quarter, up from the 1.5% acceleration in Q1. Both services and goods spending saw solid increases for the quarter.



Inventories also were a significant contributor, adding 0.82 percentage point to the total gain. Government spending added a tailwind as well, rising 3.9% at the federal level, including a 5.2% surge in defense outlays.



On the downside, imports, which subtract from GDP, jumped 6.9%, the biggest quarterly rise since Q1 of 2022. Exports were up just 2%.



Stock market futures drifted higher following the report while Treasury yields moved lower.



“The composition of growth was one of the better mixes that we have observed in some time,” said Joseph Brusuelas, chief economist at RSM. The report “tends to support the idea that the American economy is in the midst of a productivity boom which over the medium term will lift living standards across the country via lower inflation, low employment and rising real wages.”



There was some good news on the inflation front: the personal consumption expenditures price index, a key measure for the Federal Reserve, increased 2.6% for the quarter, down from the 3.4% move in Q1. Excluding food and energy, core PCE prices, which the Fed focuses on even more as a longer-term inflation indicator, were up 2.9%, compared to a 3.7% increase in the prior period.



The so-called chain-weighted price index, which takes into account changes in consumer behavior, increased 2.3% for the quarter, below the 2.6% estimate.



Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen saw the GDP report as “affirming the path we’re on to steady growth and declining inflation,” in remarks she delivered Thursday morning in Rio de Janeiro.



One other key variable, final sales to private domestic purchasers, which the Fed considers a good indicator of underlying demand, accelerated at a 2.6% pace, the same as in the prior quarter.



However, the report also indicated that the personal savings rate continues to decelerate, at 3.5% for the quarter, compared with 3.8% in Q1.



There have been signs of cracks lately in the consumer picture.



A report Wednesday from the Philadelphia Federal Reserve showed credit card delinquencies at an all-time high according to data going back to 2012. Revolving debt balances also reached a new high even as banks reported tightening credit standards and declining new card originations.



However, retail sales numbers have continued to climb indicating that consumers are weathering the headwinds of high interest rates and persistent inflation.



There also is pressure in the housing market: Sales are declining while home prices continue to rise, putting stress on first-time homebuyers.



Federal Reserve officials are expected to hold interest rates steady when they meet next week, though market pricing is pointing to the first cut in four years in September. Policymakers have been circumspect about when they might start reducing rates, though recent comments indicate more of a willingness to start easing policy and most central bankers have said they see further increases as unlikely.



In other economic news Thursday, the Labor Department reported that initial jobless claims totaled 235,000 for the week ended July 20, down 10,000 from the previous week and exactly in line with the Dow Jones forecast. Continuing claims, which run a week behind, edged lower to 1.85 million.



Also, orders for durable goods — generally big-ticket items such as aircraft, appliances and computers — unexpectedly fell 6.6% in June, compared with the forecast for a 0.3% increase. However, excluding transportation, new orders increased 0.5%.

108004882-1720728328098-gettyimages-2161665996-economy451659_szz6uf7k

U.S. economy grew at a 2.8% pace in the second quarter, much more than expected

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="571" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/GettyImages-699242978-820x571.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-511175" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/GettyImages-699242978-820x571.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/GettyImages-699242978-300x209.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/GettyImages-699242978-129x90.jpg 129w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/GettyImages-699242978-768x535.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/GettyImages-699242978-1536x1069.jpg 1536w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/GettyImages-699242978-scaled.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">BLOEMFONTEIN, SOUTH AFRICA JUNE 15: (SOUTH AFRICA OUT) President of the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) Mandisa Maya opens up during an interview at her offices on June 15, 2017 in Bloemfontein, South Africa. Maya is the first female to occupy the post of President of the SCA in South Africa. (Photo by Gallo Images / The Times / Simphiwe Nkwali)</figcaption></figure>



JOHANNESBURG, July 25 (Reuters)&nbsp;&#8211;&nbsp;South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on Thursday named Mandisa Maya as the first female chief justice, effective on Sept. 1, following consultations with the Judicial Service Commission.



This is a significant milestone for the country, the presidency said in a statement.



Maya, the current deputy chief justice, will replace Raymond Zondo, whose term ends on Aug. 31.



This is a developing story&#8230;



(Reporting by Bhargav Acharya; Editing by Kevin Liffey and Richard Chang)

Close up with Supreme Court of Appeal head Mandisa Maya

South Africa appoints first woman chief justice

<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="615" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/48085890627_1aed377e0b_k-820x615-1.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-511113" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/48085890627_1aed377e0b_k-820x615-1.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/48085890627_1aed377e0b_k-820x615-1-300x225.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/48085890627_1aed377e0b_k-820x615-1-120x90.jpg 120w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/48085890627_1aed377e0b_k-820x615-1-768x576.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Photos: via Flickr</figcaption></figure>



July 25 (Reuters) &#8211; Malawi&#8217;s central bank kept its benchmark lending rate unchanged at 26.0% in a decision announced on Thursday.



(Reporting by Bhargav Acharya; writing by Tannur Anders; editing by Mark Heinrich)

48085890627_1aed377e0b_k-820×615

Malawi central bank keeps main interest rate unchanged at 26%

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="619" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/YCWFEE2J3NLKPHC3NQ2YRVFRB4-820x619.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-511102" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/YCWFEE2J3NLKPHC3NQ2YRVFRB4-820x619.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/YCWFEE2J3NLKPHC3NQ2YRVFRB4-300x227.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/YCWFEE2J3NLKPHC3NQ2YRVFRB4-119x90.jpg 119w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/YCWFEE2J3NLKPHC3NQ2YRVFRB4-768x580.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/YCWFEE2J3NLKPHC3NQ2YRVFRB4-1536x1160.jpg 1536w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/YCWFEE2J3NLKPHC3NQ2YRVFRB4-scaled.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">FILE PHOTO &#8211; Zimbabwean Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube looks on before the swearing in of new cabinet ministers at State House in Harare, Zimbabwe, September 10, 2018. REUTERS/Philimon Bulawayo</figcaption></figure>



HARARE, July 25 (Reuters)&nbsp;&#8211;&nbsp;Zimbabwe&#8217;s 2024 budget deficit is forecast to be 1.3% of gross domestic product, Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube said on Thursday,but warned that concerns remained over the impact of a drought on finances.



The finance ministry projected 2024 growth at 2% earlier this month, down from 3.5% forecast in November, as southern Africa suffers its worst drought in decades.



In his midterm budget review, Ncube told lawmakers that the agriculture sector was now projected to contract by 21.2%, against a contraction of 4.9% in November, due to the drought.



Ncube added that spending priorities for the remainder of the year could change as the government takes stock of the impact of the drought on food security and water.



In April, the southern African nation introduced its new gold-backed currency, Zimbabwe Gold (ZiG), its sixth attempt at a domestic currency in 15 years.



&#8220;Since the introduction of the ZiG currency, the economy is experiencing relatively stable prices and exchange rate,&#8221; Ncube said, adding that inflation had remained stable in the two months since its introduction.



Zimbabweans however have been slow to adopt the new currency, opting instead to continue trading in foreign currency, mainly US dollars.



Ncube introduced revised tax proposals which he says will encourage greater use of the currency, including changes to corporate taxes and making some domestic taxes only payable in local currency.



(Reporting by Nyasha Chingono in Harare and Kopano Gumbi in Johannesburg, additional reporting by Tannur Anders and Bhargav Acharya, writing by Kopano Gumbi, editing by Mark Heinrich and Bernadette Baum)

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Ethiopia’s birr drops 30% as central bank floats currency

Fed’s key inflation gauge rose 2.5% in June from a year ago, easing path to rate cut

How The Massive Power Draw Of Generative AI Is Overtaxing Our Grid

How China Took Over Indonesia’s Nickel Industry To Fuel Its EVs

Bank of Ghana keeps main rate unchanged over inflation concerns

Nigeria to launch $500 million diaspora bond in economic growth push

Ugandan shilling stable; to ease due to commercial bank FX demand

Kenya shilling firms, tea export dollar inflows help

CrowdStrike CEO says 97% of Windows sensors back online after major outage

South African rand gains, focus on US inflation data

African Markets – Factors to watch on July 26

South African Markets -Factors to watch on July 26

OpenAI announces a search engine called SearchGPT; Alphabet shares dip

U.S. economy grew at a 2.8% pace in the second quarter, much more than expected

South Africa appoints first woman chief justice

Malawi central bank keeps main interest rate unchanged at 26%

Zimbabwe’s 2024 budget deficit seen at 1.3% of GDP, finmin says

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home

Ethiopia’s birr drops 30% as central bank floats currency

Fed’s key inflation gauge rose 2.5% in June from a year ago, easing path to rate cut

How The Massive Power Draw Of Generative AI Is Overtaxing Our Grid

How China Took Over Indonesia’s Nickel Industry To Fuel Its EVs

Bank of Ghana keeps main rate unchanged over inflation concerns

Nigeria to launch $500 million diaspora bond in economic growth push

Ugandan shilling stable; to ease due to commercial bank FX demand

Kenya shilling firms, tea export dollar inflows help

CrowdStrike CEO says 97% of Windows sensors back online after major outage

South African rand gains, focus on US inflation data

African Markets – Factors to watch on July 26

South African Markets -Factors to watch on July 26

OpenAI announces a search engine called SearchGPT; Alphabet shares dip

U.S. economy grew at a 2.8% pace in the second quarter, much more than expected

South Africa appoints first woman chief justice

Malawi central bank keeps main interest rate unchanged at 26%

Zimbabwe’s 2024 budget deficit seen at 1.3% of GDP, finmin says

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