Analysis: Indices

Standard Bank sells Africa's first safety-buffer bonds designed for bank crises

Standard Bank Group Ltd has raised 2 billion rand , it said on Thursday, through the continent's first issuance of a type of bond designed to act as a buffer in banking crises, known as Flac notes. ...

Teck Resources beats quarterly profit on higher copper prices, output

Teck Resources beat fourth-quarter profit expectations on Thursday, helped by a surge in copper prices and production, as the Canadian miner advanced its proposed merger with Anglo American. ...

Bearish bets on Asian currencies rise as Mideast war stokes energy shock worries

Short positions on most Asian currencies have crept higher as an escalating war in the Middle East has stoked worries over the crippling effect high energy prices could have on several economies in...

Nestle adds ice cream sale to CEO's growing disposal to-do list

Nestle said on Thursday it was in talks to sell its remaining in-house ice cream business, adding to planned disposals of water and vitamin assets as CEO Philipp Navratil pushes to streamline the...

How China plans to dominate global trade long after Trump

China sees an opening to turn President Donald Trump's tariffs to its advantage by reshaping global trade in ways that would insulate its $19 trillion economy from U.S. pressure far into the future. ...

Gold Fields boosts shareholder returns after profit more than doubles

South Africa's Gold Fields said on Thursday its full-year profit more than doubled, driven by record-high bullion prices and increased output, which allowed the miner to boost dividends and announce a...

IMF completes Niger program reviews, approves about $91 million in funding

The International Monetary Fund said on Wednesday it has approved about $91 million in funding for Niger after completing reviews of programs under its Extended Credit Facility and Resilience and...

Congo state firm strikes deal to sell copper from Glencore mine, Bloomberg News reports

The Democratic Republic of Congo struck a deal to tender copper from a major Glencore operation in the country, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday. DRC's state miner Gecamines has...

Any IMF deal must be in Senegal's best interests, presidential adviser says

Senegal is continuing talks with the International Monetary Fund on a new programme, with the best interests of our country and our people in mind, a senior adviser to President Bassirou Diomaye Faye...

Argentine maritime workers' labor reform strike halts grain shipments

Argentine maritime workers from the country's maritime workers federation FESIMAF launched a 48-hour strike on Wednesday over a planned labor reform, which the country's grain exporters' chamber said...

Austria eyes renewables, African gas to cut US LNG dependence, junior minister says

PARIS, Feb 18 - Austria is seeking to expand renewable energy and increase gas imports from Africa to avoid becoming overly dependent on U.S. liquefied natural gas as Europe reshapes its energy...

Major South African smelter restarts after power tariff relief

South African ferrochrome plant Lion Smelter has resumed operations following a nine-month shutdown after a one-third cut in power costs, its co-owner said on Wednesday, urging more reductions to...

Ivory Coast considers following Ghana with cocoa price cut, sources say

Ivory Coast is considering cutting the price it pays farmers for cocoa beans to align with Ghana, two government sources told Reuters, as the world's biggest producers of the chocolate ingredient face...

As US agriculture flails, farmers see big corn acres as best bet to break even

U.S. farmers, though punished by slumping prices after last year's monster corn harvest, are expected to cut back only slightly on their plantings of the grain in 2026 as they brace for a fourth...

China's EXIM Bank has over $289 billion in outstanding Belt and Road loans, CCTV reports

China's Export-Import Bank had more than 2 trillion yuan in outstanding loans supporting President Xi Jinping's vast Belt and Road infrastructure initiative as of end January, state broadcaster CCTV...

Ghana pays $909 million in interest in domestic debt exchange programme

Ghana's government has paid 10 billion cedis in interest under its Domestic Debt Exchange Programme , the finance ministry said on Wednesday, marking the sixth coupon settlement since a restructuring...

Namibia holds key rate steady at first meeting under new governor

Namibia's central bank kept its policy rate unchanged on Wednesday in its first meeting under new Governor Ebson Uanguta, saying it wanted to ensure stability in capital flows and preserve the...

South African rand flat ahead of local data

The South African rand was muted in early trade on Wednesday, as traders awaited inflation data, retail sales data and a business confidence index that will shed light on the country's economic...

Grandson of Reese's Peanut Butter Cup inventor questions Hershey over alternative ingredients

The grandson of the man who created the Reese's Peanut Butter Cup took to social media over the weekend to criticize the popular candy's manufacturer, The Hershey Company, about alleged changes in the...