are company announcements, scheduled economic indicators, debt and currency market moves and political events that may affect African markets today.
The events:
MOZAMBIQUE
Mozambique’s central bank announces latest decision on its key-lending rate. The Bank left the rate unchanged at 15.0 percent in February.
KENYA
International Monetary Fund’s mission to Kenya holds a news conference after a visit to the country to discuss with authorities recent economic developments, broad government policies, budget execution, and monetary and exchange rate trends.
In addition to events in Kenya, the country is scheduled to host the Horn of Africa Conference on Infrastructure and Investment bringing ministers and technical experts from the region and senior officials from development cooperation agencies and financing institutions.
Meanwhile, Kenya Airways holds a media briefing on its rights issue, approved by regulator Capital Markets Authority on Friday.
KENYA MARKETS
The Kenyan shilling held steady on Friday, kept in check by central bank buying of dollars as a funding squeeze worsened, pushing interbank rates higher.
The shilling closed at 82.60/80 per dollar, barely moving from Thursday’s close of 82/65.85.
On the Nairobi Securities Exchange, the main NSE-20 Share Index inched up by 0.2 percent to 3,401.6 points, near a three-month high and helped by investors buying shares on the view that some were undervalued after good full-year earnings results.
KENYA SECURITY
Kenya blamed Somali al Shabaab rebels on Sunday for grenade attacks that killed at least six people and wounded scores at a bus station near the heart of the capital Nairobi a day earlier.
KENYA ICC CASE
The International Criminal Court on Friday rejected appeals from Kenya’s former finance minister and three others to have charges against them dropped relating to the country’s 2007 election violence.
GLOBAL MARKETS
Asian shares fell on Monday as investors paused to assess the effect of strong U.S. jobs data, which scaled back expectations for more easing ahead of this week’s Federal Reserve meeting, while uncertainty over Chinese growth also weighed on sentiment.
WORLD OIL PRICES
Oil fell in the first of four sessions on Monday, with Brent slipping towards $125, as weak Chinese exports heightened demand fears, countering support from supply disruption worries in the Middle East and Africa and a brightening U.S. economic outlook.
SOUTH AFRICA MARKETS
South Africa’s government bonds weakened on Friday and the rand retreated nearly 1 percent against a resurgent dollar as investors found little incentive to take on risky assets, with nagging debt problems in Europe still casting a shadow.
South African stocks managed their third straight session in the black on Friday, cheered by the unveiling of lower-than-expected power price increases and a court dismissal of a bid to unwind Wal-Mart’s $2.4 billion acquisition of Massmart.
NIGERIA MARKETS
Nigeria’s interbank lending rates fell further this week to an average of 14.25 percent compared to last week’s 14.41 percent after additional cash inflows from the excess crude account disbursal hit the market on Wednesday, traders said on Friday.
NIGERIA SECURITY
Christian youths killed at least 10 people in reprisal attacks after a suspected suicide bomber hit a Catholic church in the central Nigerian city of Jos on Sunday, killing three people, authorities said.
GHANA GOLD OUTPUT
Ghana’s full-year gold production declined by a few percentage points last year but is expected to rise in 2012, the head of its Chamber of Mines said on Friday.
GAMBIA POLITICS
Six Gambian opposition parties said on Thursday they will boycott a parliamentary election due to be held later this month, saying it would not be transparent and urging mediators to secure a postponement of the vote.
SENEGAL POLITICS Senegal opposition candidates who combined won over 65 percent of the ballot in a first round presidential election rallied on Saturday behind Macky Sall to challenge incumbent President Abdoulaye Wade in the second round on March 25.
CAMEROON POWER PLANT
Cameroon and U.S. emerging markets energy developer Joule Africa signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to develop a $1 billion 450 MW Kpep Hydroelectric Project in the Central African nation, the parties said on Friday.
Source: Reuters
