The following company announcements, scheduled economic indicators, debt and currency market moves and political events may affect African markets on Wednesday.
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GLOBAL MARKETS Asian stocks retreated on Wednesday and the dollar inched up from three-month lows after Federal Reserve officials tempered expectations in the markets for aggressive monetary easing. MKTS/GLOB
WORLD OIL PRICES Oil prices rose more than 1% on Wednesday to their highest in nearly a month as industry data showed U.S. crude stockpiles fell more than expected, underpinning a market already buoyed by worries over a potential U.S.-Iran conflict. O/R
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SOUTH AFRICA MARKETS South Africa's rand firmed on Tuesday as the prospect of monetary easing by the Federal Reserve knocked demand for the U.S. currency, which in turn supported developing world currencies. OIL Exports of Nigeria's four key crude oil grades are set to rise in August by 155,0000 barrels per day, preliminary programmes seen by traders showed. MARKETS The Kenyan shilling KES= firmed against the dollar on Tuesday with inflows from diaspora remittances and offshore investors buying government bonds helping meet end month dollar demand from the energy sector, traders said. OIL The Kenyan government has signed agreements with oil major Total TOTF.PA , Tullow Oil TLW.L and Africa Oil Corp AOI.TO to develop a 60,000-80,000 barrels per day crude processing facility for oil discovered in the country's northwest. SECURITY Ethiopia held a memorial on Tuesday for the army chief of staff slain with four other senior officials in weekend attacks that posed the biggest threat yet to the prime minister's reforms. RHINOS Rhino keepers who successfully delivered five endangered black rhinos to Rwanda spent months hugging and coddling them inside their transport boxes to prepare them for the journey, a rhino handler told Reuters as the animals were freed on Monday. USA A top U.S. State Department official who deals with Sudan said on Tuesday that Washington was considering all options, including possible sanctions, if there was more violence after a deadly assault on protesters in Khartoum early this month. ECONOMY Zimbabwe's President Emmerson Mnangagwa said on Tuesday that a decision to ban the use of foreign currencies was an important step to repair the economy, but local businesspeople and investors were wary a day after the reform was announced. CURRENCY Tanzania has tightened its currency controls with new regulations on foreign exchange bureaus, in what authorities say is an ongoing fight against money laundering and currency speculation. TOTAL French and Ugandan campaign groups including Friends of the Earth have filed a legal notification with Total TOTF.PA , claiming it has failed to address the human and environmental impact of its Ugandan operations as required by French law. MARKETS The Ugandan shilling UGX= weakened on Tuesday, undercut by month-end dollar demand from energy and manufacturing importers, traders said. the latest precious metals report click on GOL/
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