NAIROBI, March 4 - The following company announcements, scheduled economic indicators, debt
and currency market moves and political events may affect African markets on Thursday.
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GLOBAL MARKETS
Resurgent worries about rising U.S. bond yields hit
global shares on Thursday as investors waited to see if
Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell will address concerns
about the risk of a rapid rise in long-term borrowing
costs. MKTS/GLOB
WORLD OIL PRICES
Oil prices rose for a second straight session on
Thursday, as the possibility that OPEC+ producers might
decide against increasing output at a key meeting later in
the day lent support, alongside a drop in U.S. fuel
inventories. O/R
EMERGING MARKETS
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SOUTH AFRICA MARKETS
South Africa's rand weakened late on Wednesday,
reversing some gains made earlier in the session, as data
pointed to a slower recovery in factory
activity. GOLD
Venezuela sent gold to Mali in 2020 via Russian-owned
planes to exchange for euros and U.S. dollars that President
Nicolas Maduro's government used to remain afloat despite
U.S. sanctions, an opposition representative said on
Wednesday. NIGERIA MARKETS
The Nigerian naira dropped to a record closing low of
411 per dollar on the spot market on Wednesday, exchange
data showed after the central bank last week acknowledged
that the currency was trading weaker. KENYA MARKETS
The Kenyan shilling KES= traded stronger on Wednesday
supported by hard currency inflows from various sectors like
agriculture and Diaspora remittances, traders
said. L5N2L13D2
KENYA EQUITY
Kenya's Equity Group Holdings EQTY.NR said on Wednesday
it had launched a lending facility worth 75 billion
shillings ($685 million) to help small and medium-sized
enterprises (SMEs) recover from the economic impact of the
COVID-19 pandemic. DRC MINING
The Democratic Republic of Congo produced 85,855 tonnes
of cobalt in 2020, up 10% from 2019, the central bank said
on Wednesday, with copper production also jumping 11.8%
year-on-year. NAMIBIA MINING
Diamond and uranium producer Namibia said on Wednesday
that locals who own mineral exploration licences will no
longer be able to sell out to foreigners, in a move aimed at
curtailing speculation in the sector. SENEGAL VIOLENCE
Senegal's main opposition leader, Ousmane Sonko, was
arrested on Wednesday after hundreds of his supporters
clashed with police in the capital while protesting against
a rape accusation he denies. VIOLENCE
One moment, Hadiza was weeping and flinging her arms
around her father for the first time since her abduction;
the next - gunfire and tear gas filled the air and people
ran for cover. COVID-19 VACCINES
Kenya received over a million doses of the AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN)
COVID-19 vaccine on Wednesday, while Rwanda said it was the
first in Africa to secure shots from Pfizer, as efforts to
inoculate the world's poorest nations
accelerated. VARIANTS
Research by South African scientists suggests that
antibodies triggered by exposure to the country's dominant
coronavirus variant can prevent infection by other variants,
the scientists said on Wednesday. GROWTH
Tanzania's economic growth is seen climbing this year in
a range of up to 5.3% as a rollout of COVID-19 vaccines
invigorates global economic activity, the World Bank said on
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