The gold buying demand from China is surging from last December onwards owing investors' priority to safe haven assets. The sluggish stock markets, weaker currency and lower global prices are prime reasons for the rising demand for the yellow metal. The consumption rose 3.7 percent to 985.9 metric tons in 2015.
Africa
Zimbabwe Suffers Severe Drought And Is In Need Of $1.5 Billion Aid
Zimbabwe suffers a massive disaster in the form of drought which has hit immensely on the entire country. The Vice president Emmerson Mnangagwa has appealed for $1.5bn aid from the local businesses and charities to save more than a quarter of his population from extreme water scarcity.
Pandora selling itself; stock soars over 10%
Pandora Media Inc has engaged Morgan Stanley to facilitate the selling itself including identifying potential buyers. Pandora has been spending heavily to attract more number of users amid increasing competition in internet radio space.
Boosting Electricity Power In Nigeria Needs Widening of Grid Says Azura
Nigeria as biggest economy of Africa is not able to meet demands for power supply for various reasons. Azura which generates power for Nigeria, is of view that for supply to increase the power transmission the grid must be expanded. And terms of the management of transmission grid which is run by a Canadian Company needs to be reviewed.
African coffee producers suffer from low prices
The increasing output in Brazil and falling prices are posing a major challenge to African coffee producers. Coffee exports revenues are a major source of income for several African nations. The coffee production in Brazil is forecast to reach 52 million of bags in 2016 from 43.2 million bags in 2015.
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The lower oil price for about 19 months is benefiting the consumers, but creating a lot of problems for the global governments and business firms. Many banks and the US government forecast oil price above $40 a barrel this year. The oil price fell to below $30 during the past 19 months from $107 a barrel.
Guinness Nigeria, the country's second-biggest brewer is seeing a prolonged decline in sales and shares. The failing of the beer industry is part of a bigger national economic slowdown, whereas Nigeria, Africa's largest economy, seek out for loan to cover budget deficits.
Nigeria requires $3.5 billion funds to fill its $15 billion budget deficit. The falling oil prices are eroding revenues for the government. The largest economy in Africa is seeking $2.5 billion loan from the World Bank and $1 billion loan from ADB.
Alrosa PJSC has recorded 45 percent growth in sales for the fourth quarter of 2015. The rebound in the global diamonds market helped Alrosa post encouraging performance. The diamonds prices in the global market fell over 18 percent in 2015.
South African Reserve Bank (SARB) has announced increasing key interest rates by fifty basis points to 6.75% on Thursday. It has also slashed down growth forecast to 0.9%. SARB has increased the interest rates for the second time with an interval of weeks. However, the rate hike will influence the Banks’ expenses and banking industry may witness job cutting as cost minimization effort.
Anglo American's copper production and from retained operations rose 23 percent for the fourth quarter of 2015. The overall copper equivalent basis production for 2015 rose five percent when compared with 2014. Majority of metals including copper, coal, nickel and iron ore tumbled during the second half of 2015. The copper inventory of Anglo American was at 197,631 tons as on 2015.
Childhood obesity has increased drastically worldwide and WHO seeks political involvement in handling the issue. About 48% of obese and overweight children aged 5 and below reportedly belong to Asia and Africa.
The summit will provide a platform for foreign investors, African companies, and regulators to meet, discuss relevant issues, and form relationships. East Africa has a strong potential to develop Islamic Finance because of the high demand for its services and products.
Gold soared to three-month high early this week as investors switched over to safe have following the concerns about the global economy. The US Federal Reserve indicated a challenging global economy and this may not prevent it from raising interest rate. Gold price reached to $1,127.80 on 27 January and this propelled investors to book profits.
