(Reuters)- The following company announcements, scheduled economic indicators, debt and currency market moves and political events may affect African markets on Friday.
EVENTS:
MAURITIUS – The central bank sells 273-day Treasury Bills worth a total 500 million rupees.
NIGERIA – Expecting the latest data on foreign capital flows from the stock exchange.
GLOBAL MARKETS
Tokyo stocks jumped to a seven-month high on Friday as Asian shares rose on signs Greece is a step nearer to averting a default, although momentum may be checked by caution ahead of U.S. data that is expected to confirm a labour market recovery.
WORLD OIL PRICES
Brent crude rose above $125 a barrel on Friday, posting its sixth weekly gain in seven, as Greece successfully closed its bond swap offer for creditors, a key step towards securing an international bailout to avoid a messy default.
AFRICA CURRENCIES
Kenya and Tanzania’s shillings look set to gain against the dollar next week, with the Kenyan currency pushing towards the 82 to the dollar level that a minister said last month should not be crossed.
SOUTH AFRICA CURRENCY, BONDS
South Africa’s rand gained for the second day against the dollar as confidence returned to investors to take on risky assets with Greece closer to sidestepping a messy default.
SOUTH AFRICA STOCKS
South African shares staged their second straight day of gains on Thursday led by Aspen Pharmacare, as robust local results and brighter news on the Greek front cheered investors.
NIGERIA SECURIY
A Briton and an Italian held hostage in Nigeria were killed by their captors on Thursday as a joint British-Nigerian rescue mission stormed a compound to try to free the men, witnesses and security officials said.
NIGERIA OIL CORRUPTION
Jolted by a public outcry since the start of the year, Nigeria’s government has announced a series of measures to address oil industry corruption in the world’s eighth biggest producer. It is an issue that may come to define Goodluck Jonathan’s presidency.
KENYA MARKETS
The Kenyan shilling firmed, supported by exporters in the horticulture sector selling dollars while stocks rallied to a three-month high on the back of more positive company results.
KENYA TREASURY BILLS
The weighted average yield on Kenya’s 91-day Treasury bill fell to 17.983 percent at auction from 18.745 percent last week in an under subscribed sale, the central bank said.
TANZANIA INVESTMENT
Foreign direct investment in Tanzania rose 8.5 percent in 2010 to $700 million, largely driven by the tourism, manufacturing and farming sectors, a senior investment official said on Tuesday.
GHANA MARKETS
The Ghana Stock Exchange is targeting a total of 50 listed companies within five years, up from 34, and will launch an alternative market this year to enable smaller companies to raise capital, its deputy managing director said.
IVORY COAST POLITICS
Ivory Coast’s prime minister Guillaume Soro and his cabinet resigned on Thursday, paving the way for the formation of a broader coalition government after parliamentary elections late last year.
MAURITIUS TREASURY BILLS
The weighted average yield on Mauritius’ 91-day Treasury bills dropped to 3.83 percent on Thursday on the back of heavy demand from 3.91 percent at the previous sale, the central bank said.
Source: Reuters
