Africa Economics Weekly India-Covax-Africa channels, price pressures in SA India’s unabating second virus wave risks further delays to vaccine exports through the Covax initiative to much of Sub-Saharan Africa, which would set back economic recoveries further. South Africa... 30th April 2021 · 4 mins read
Africa Chart Pack Recoveries lifted by the commodity high… for now The sharp rises in copper and iron ore prices this month will have given a much-needed boost to African producers such as Zambia and South Africa. Gold also traded higher in April compared to March... 29th April 2021 · 10 mins read
Africa Economic Outlook Recovery in slow motion Slow vaccine rollouts, tight fiscal policy and weakness in tourism sectors will hold back recoveries across Sub-Saharan Africa. Virus containment measures will probably remain in place for some time... 28th April 2021 · 22 mins read
Emerging Markets Economic Outlook New virus waves to drag on the recovery The surge in virus cases across large parts of the emerging world and the slow pace of vaccine rollout mean that the headwinds facing the EM recovery are building. EM currencies are likely to see... 28th April 2021 · 25 mins read
Africa Economics Weekly Wage talks in SA, Nigeria tightens FX restrictions Mounting trade union pressure on South Africa’s government and state-owned enterprises to increase salaries poses a serious threat to the government’s fiscal austerity plans and any signs that the... 23rd April 2021 · 5 mins read
Africa Economics Weekly Delayed vaccination in SA, dovish SARB, downbeat IMF The announcement this week that South Africa is suspending the roll-out of Johnson&Johnson vaccines, on which it heavily relies, risks further delaying an already slow vaccine campaign. Meanwhile... 16th April 2021 · 5 mins read
Africa Economics Weekly Debt relief stop gaps, South Africa’s jabs A flurry of global action this week to help improve low-income countries’ balance sheets is likely to provide only short-term relief and, in the meantime, efforts to provide longer-lasting help to... 9th April 2021 · 6 mins read
Africa Economics Weekly Talk of debt risks, fears over gas projects in Mozambique EM debt risks have been in the spotlight again this week following warnings from leaders of several multilateral organizations – and much of Sub-Saharan Africa stands out. The most immediate concerns... 1st April 2021 · 5 mins read
Emerging Markets Activity Monitor Headwinds to the recovery start to build The economic data out of the emerging world for Q1 look reasonably strong, but worsening COVID-19 outbreaks and a shift towards policy tightening are creating headwinds for some EMs. Activity in... 31st March 2021 · 3 mins read
Africa Chart Pack Not hopping on the bandwagon of EM rate hikes Central banks in Sub-Saharan Africa bucked a recent “trend” of interest rate hikes in other emerging markets this month. Policymakers in South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya and Angola all kept their... 30th March 2021 · 13 mins read
Africa Economics Weekly SA monetary policy going its own way, naira to and fro South Africa’s monetary policy stance is likely to remain accommodative for some time, going against market expectations and the projection model of the Reserve Bank. In Nigeria, officials continued... 26th March 2021 · 5 mins read
Africa Economics Weekly Nigeria stuck in stagflation, changing winds in Tanzania The past week has brought further evidence that Nigeria is suffering from stagflation and we suspect it’s a ‘chronic condition’ arising from poor policy choices rather than an ‘acute disease’. In... 19th March 2021 · 8 mins read
Emerging Markets Economics Update Revisiting financial repression in EMs The recent rise in EM sovereign bond yields will, if sustained, make public debt problems in some countries even worse. Those with large local currency debts may ultimately turn to financial... 18th March 2021 · 3 mins read
Emerging Markets Economics Chart Pack Taper tantrum fears return EM financial markets have been hit this month by the rise in US Treasury yields, which has re-ignited some concerns about a re-run of the Taper Tantrum. So far, capital outflows from EMs have been... 16th March 2021 · 11 mins read
Africa Economics Weekly Eurobond-bonanza? SA’s current account in full swing African policymakers seem to be turning increasingly to international bond markets to finance budget deficits this year, which could add to existing debt vulnerabilities in Ghana and Nigeria... 12th March 2021 · 6 mins read
Emerging Markets Economics Update Are we about to see a wave of EM rate hikes? Recent currency falls and rises in inflation have all but guaranteed interest rate hikes in Turkey and Brazil next week, and Russia’s central bank is likely to lay the groundwork for tightening too... 11th March 2021 · 3 mins read
