Africa Economic Outlook Positive growth outlook masks key country differences We expect sub-Saharan Africa to remain one of the world’s better performing regions over the next few years. But this masks some key differences between countries, and indeed some economies will... 17th July 2013 · 1 min read
Africa Economics Update Kenya: decision to hold rates signals end of easing cycle With inflation likely to accelerate over the next few months and the current account deficit still a cause for concern, we think the Central Bank of Kenya’s decision to keep its benchmark interest... 9th July 2013 · 1 min read
Africa Chart Pack Economic impact of US Fed tapering likely to be limited Financial markets in Africa have taken a hit over the past month following signals from the US Fed that it intends to taper its asset purchases under QE3. Nevertheless, we think that the economic... 28th June 2013 · 1 min read
Africa Economics Update Markets get the jitters Signals from the US Fed that it intends to scale back its asset-purchasing programme later this year have had a notable impact on most sub-Saharan African markets over the past month. But while the... 25th June 2013 · 1 min read
Africa Economics Update What next for monetary policy? Monetary policy in sub-Saharan Africa has all of a sudden become interesting. Ghana surprised expectations by hiking interest rates last month, while countries in East Africa have continued to cut... 24th June 2013 · 1 min read
Africa Chart Pack Regional slowdown masks key nuances Data released over the past month show that GDP growth slowed in both South Africa and Nigeria in Q1, but this masks important differences in the fortunes of the region’s two largest economies. In... 31st May 2013 · 1 min read
Africa Economics Update Rand in freefall The South African rand has collapsed in the past month, falling by over 9% against the US$. The magnitude of the fall means that the currency may now be somewhat undervalued, but we expect it to... 29th May 2013 · 1 min read
Africa Economics Update Kenyan rates unlikely to fall further The Central Bank of Kenya cut its benchmark interest rate by a larger-than-expected 100bp to 8.50% today but, with inflation having bottomed out and the current account deficit still a cause for... 7th May 2013 · 1 min read
Africa Economics Update What next for inflation across the region? Inflation is likely to slow across West Africa in the near term, meaning that interest rate cuts are still a possibility. By contrast, inflation is likely to accelerate in East and South Africa. In... 3rd May 2013 · 1 min read
Africa Chart Pack Still a region of "two-speed" growth The latest data for South Africa suggest that the economy picked up pace in Q1, supported in large part by a rebound in mining production after last year’s strikes. Elsewhere in the region, although... 26th April 2013 · 1 min read
Africa Economics Update Weak rand to provide limited relief for South African manufacturers Growth in South Africa’s manufacturing sector appears to have stagnated in the first quarter of 2013, but some policymakers have suggested that production could soon pick up as a weaker rand helps to... 24th April 2013 · 1 min read
Africa Economics Update Effects of a Chinese slowdown to vary across the region An economic slowdown in China is likely to drag on growth in sub-Saharan Africa, but the more important point is that the effects will vary from country-to-country. Zambia is probably the most... 22nd April 2013 · 1 min read
Africa Economics Update Regional growth holding up well despite external headwinds GDP data released over the past week or so show that, while growth in a number of sub-Saharan Africa’s smaller economies slowed in the latter part of 2012, the region was still one of the world’s... 5th April 2013 · 1 min read
Africa Economics Update Kenyan markets rally but post-election challenges remain Kenyan financial markets have rallied in the past few days following the Supreme Court’s ruling that the presidential election held in March was legitimate. Nevertheless, with growth appearing to have... 3rd April 2013 · 1 min read
Africa Economics Update Eurobond yields unlikely to rise sharply After falling in 2012 and early 2013, yields on African eurobonds have edged up over the past few weeks. However, the sell-off in the bond market has not been confined to Africa, as the spread over... 27th March 2013 · 1 min read
Africa Chart Pack Kenyan elections pass peacefully but risks still linger Events in sub-Saharan Africa have been dominated by presidential elections in Kenya. By past standards at least, the vote was peacefully and markets have remained stable. The shilling has actually... 26th March 2013 · 1 min read
