Coverage of equities, bonds, currencies, commodities, and crypto. This section brings together concise, data-driven insights, daily moves, and medium-term outlooks to help investors and analysts track trends, assess risks, and understand opportunities across global markets. Coverage of equities, bonds, currencies, commodities, and crypto. Daily insights, outlooks, and expert-driven analysis of global markets.
Markets
NTC Global Trade’s R484m collapse, shadowed by van Niekerk’s murder, sharpens South Africa’s risk premium. With R262m owed and FSCA under scrutiny, investors eye USD/ZAR=X swings, 2030 Eurobond yields at 8.4%, and widening CDS as trust erodes in the country’s crypto oversight and rule-of-law.
Markets
Tanzania’s fintech darling has disbursed $210m in loans to micro-distributors, but weak labor absorption, fragile demand, and rising global rates could expose it as more lender than SaaS — with ripple effects from Dar es Salaam to Wall Street.
Markets
Malawi’s kwacha (MWK=X) rose on tobacco (CT=F) inflows, but a $3B trade gap and oil (CL=F) imports threaten reserves. With Zambia leaning on copper (HG=F), Malawi’s reliance on a single crop leaves forex stability fragile and vulnerable to reversal.
Markets
Rumors of a Liberian dollar shortage test confidence despite L$1.65bn vaults. USD/LRD=X surged ~10%, CPI eased to 7.4%, real yields near +10%. Yet markets eye reversal risk; remittances, credibility, and FX reserves matter more than MPR 17.25% or L$13bn sterilization for frontier debt spreads.
Markets
The iShares Russell Top 200 Growth ETF (IWY) appears diversified but is dominated by mega-cap tech, creating an illusion of breadth. It thrives in AI-led booms yet suffers sharper losses in downturns. IWY is best treated as a tactical satellite bet, not a core portfolio holding.
Markets
South Sudan’s charges against VP Riek Machar threaten its oil lifeline. A collapse of the peace deal could cut output from 150 to 115 kbpd (thousand barrels per day), erase up to $450m yearly, push inflation beyond 60 percent, lift Brent (ICE:LCOc1) by $2–5/bbl, and widen East African spreads.
Markets
California’s trucking collapse shows oversupply and retreat. India faces driver shortages, Latin America struggles with costly roads, and Africa—undersupplied but growing 6–7% annually toward USD 500B—emerges as the frontier, offering 8–12% IRRs where others strain.
Markets
China’s banks deployed over US$3.2 trillion in tech loans by mid-2025, while Africa’s startups raised under US$3 billion in 2023. This vast credit gap shows one system risking misallocation through excess and another held back by scarcity, with major implications for global investors.
Regions
Fitch’s cut of France to A+ highlights debt and politics, but markets disagree. OATs (IBGL.L) yield just 3.5%, spreads over bunds stay modest, and CDS signals calm. With €7.3T in household wealth and ECB support, France looks resilient. The bigger risk is benchmark-driven portfolio distortions.
Markets
Tunisia and Egypt tout a new “model partnership” in trade, but with volumes under $0.5B, real progress hinges on shipping, customs, and finance reforms to turn rhetoric into bankable deals.
Markets
Africa’s Declaration reframes climate finance as investment, seeking $50B yearly to unlock renewables, minerals, and carbon markets, adding 50k MW, $600B GDP, and 5M jobs by 2035.
Markets
Tanzania and Ethiopia push energy reforms—Tanzania via upstream regulation with Algeria, Ethiopia through fuel liberalization and renewables. Investors watch for fiscal gains, ESG alignment, and investable outcomes within 12–24 months.