Africa Economics Update Côte d’Ivoire: Political turbulence won’t knock economy off course Last week’s abortive army mutiny has focused attention on the political fragility of Côte d’Ivoire, which suffered a series of political and economic crises between 1993 and 2011. But we expect that... 13th January 2017 · 1 min read
Africa Economics Update South Africa: Manufacturing sector shows signs of life The rebound in South African manufacturing output in November is encouraging. But we expect that this was probably a blip rather than the beginning of a lasting acceleration. Figures released today by... 12th January 2017 · 1 min read
Africa Economics Update Nigeria: Naira fix will prove unsustainable in 2017 Nigerian policymakers seem committed to the FX policies that have strangled their country’s economy. The situation is, however, unsustainable. We expect that the currency will be devalued again in... 21st December 2016 · 1 min read
Africa Economics Update Ghana: political success in an economy on the cusp of recovery Ghana’s recent election is, first and foremost, a ringing political success. On the economic front, we doubt that the election will trigger a sharp change in policy. But given that Ghana’s economy was... 16th December 2016 · 1 min read
Africa Economics Update Nigeria: Ambitious budget unlikely to be realised President Muhammadu Buhari’s latest budget proposal is overly ambitious; we expect that both spending and revenue will disappoint. While Mr. Buhari presented his spending plan as way of lifting the... 14th December 2016 · 1 min read
Africa Economics Update South Africa: More and more red lights flashing October output data suggest that, after a very weak Q3, South Africa’s economy may have contracted outright at the start of Q4. Figures released today show that retail sales fell by 0.2% y/y in... 14th December 2016 · 1 min read
Africa Economics Update South Africa: Economy headed for a brutal end to the year October’s mining and manufacturing data were both worse than even the most pessimistic analysts had expected. This suggests that, after a very weak Q3, the economy may have slowed even further in Q4. 8th December 2016 · 1 min read
Africa Economics Update Trump effect limited, but Zuma rocks the rand The effect of the US election result on African currency and equity markets seems to have been fleeting. In South Africa, though, the rand has closely tracked the possibility that Jacob Zuma could be... 29th November 2016 · 1 min read
Africa Economics Update Kenya: Policy loosening will proceed gradually The Central Bank of Kenya has paused its loosening cycle for now, but further cuts are likely in 2017. We expect that the bank’s key policy rate will end 2017 at 9.00%. 28th November 2016 · 1 min read
Africa Economics Update South Africa: Downgrade, when it comes, will tell us little new Friday’s re-evaluation of South African FX debt by Fitch & Moody’s suggests the country probably will lose its investment grade status. A downgrade wouldn’t have a significant economic or financial... 28th November 2016 · 1 min read
Africa Economics Update South Africa: Rates on hold, but rhetoric turns hawkish Today’s press conference saw the SARB leave rates on hold but take a notably hawkish tone.Policymakers seem to be rowing back their claim that the tighten cycle is coming to an end. 24th November 2016 · 1 min read
Africa Economics Update Nigeria: CBN holds rates in face of “stagflation” Today’s MPC statement makes it very clear that the CBN is unwilling to hike interest rates in the face of inflation that is more than double the official target. The next move will probably be down. 22nd November 2016 · 1 min read
Africa Economics Update Nigeria: Non-oil economy recovers a bit as oil woes continue The improved performance of Nigeria’s non-oil sector is a very positive sign. But with oil output likely to fall yet again in Q4, it is too early to call the bottom of Nigeria’s economic downturn. 21st November 2016 · 1 min read
Africa Economics Update South Africa: Economy flatlined in Q3 September’s retail sales figure was a bit stronger than expected, but activity data for Q3 as a whole suggest that South Africa’s economy may have contracted last quarter. 16th November 2016 · 1 min read
Africa Economics Update South Africa: Political drama will only intensify In this Watch we argue that political tensions surrounding South African President Jacob Zuma will not ease following the embattled president’s victory in yesterday’s vote of no confidence. They will... 11th November 2016 · 1 min read
Africa Economics Update South Africa: Output data point to (another) sharp slowdown South African manufacturing and mining output figures for September support our view that the strong economic growth recorded in Q2 was not sustained into the third quarter. 10th November 2016 · 1 min read
