African Markets - Factors to watch on March 14

Kitco Media
By Reuters
Published:
Updated:
Reuters
NAIROBI, March 14 (Reuters) - The following company announcements, scheduled economic indicators, debt and currency market moves and political events may affect African markets on Tuesday. - - - - - EVENTS: Standard Chartered Bank Kenya is due to release its 2022 financial results.


A delegation from the International Monetary Fund will hold a press briefing following a staff-level visit to Senegal.


GLOBAL MARKETS Asia's share markets slid on Tuesday, with financial stocks in Tokyo leading losses as fear of a U.S. banking crisis had investors fleeing the sector and slashing the interest rate outlook even ahead of U.S. inflation data due later in the day. WORLD OIL PRICES Oil prices fell more than $1 on Tuesday, extending the previous day's slide, as the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank rattled equities markets and sparked fear about a fresh financial crisis. EMERGING MARKETS For the top emerging markets news, double click on AFRICA STOCKS For the latest news on African stocks, click on SOUTH AFRICA MARKETS


The South African rand firmed on Monday as the dollar fell sharply on expectations that the largest U.S. bank failure since the 2008 financial crisis would prompt the Federal Reserve to slow the pace of its interest rate hikes.


KENYA MARKETS


Kenya's shilling weakened against the dollar on Monday, pushed by hard currency demand from the oil importers and general manufacturers and amid insufficient remittance inflows, traders said.


KENYA OIL


Kenya has signed deals with UAE's ADNOC and Saudi Aramco for the supply of petroleum products with a six months credit period, its energy minister said on Monday, a move designed to curb demand for dollars that has weakened the local currency.


NIGERIA CASH


Nigeria's central bank will allow old bank notes to continue as legal tender until year-end to comply with a court order earlier this month, the bank said in a statement late on Monday, raising hopes this would ease acute cash shortages in the economy.


STORM FREDDY


Mozambique and Malawi on Monday were counting the cost of Tropical Storm Freddy, which killed more than 100 people, injured scores and left a trail of destruction as it ripped through southern Africa for the second time in a month over the weekend.


IVORY COAST COCOA


Mainly above average rains last week in most of Ivory Coast's cocoa-growing regions were favourable for the April-to-September mid-crop, which is expected to start early and to be bigger than last year's output, farmers said on Monday.


KENYA TEA


Kenya's earnings from tea exports rose to 138 billion shillings ($1.07 billion) in 2022, from 136 billion shillings previously, regulator Tea Board said, as the weakening of the local currency helped to blunt the impact of lower export volumes.


RWANDA JUSTICE


Rwandan President Paul Kagame on Monday said there were discussions about "resolving" the fate of Paul Rusesabagina, who was portrayed as a hero in the Hollywood film "Hotel Rwanda" and is serving a 25-year sentence in Rwanda on terrorism charges.


KENYA DEBT


Kenya and the World Bank have increased the amount under discussion for a potential budget support loan this fiscal year by a third to $1 billion, a document posted on the bank's website showed.


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