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Thursday 06th of October 2016 |
Morning Africa |
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If you are tracking the NSE Do it via RICHLIVE and use Mozilla Firefox as your Browser. 0930-1500 KENYA TIME Normal Board - The Whole shebang Prompt Board Next day settlement Expert Board All you need re an Individual stock.
The Latest Daily PodCast can be found here on the Front Page of the site http://www.rich.co.ke |
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A Trump victory would 'upset the verdict of history' - professor Law & Politics |
The forces influencing the U.S. presidential election favour Republican nominee Donald Trump to win the popular vote - but even proven prediction models face "the most difficult election by far to predict accurately," a political forecaster with a three-decade winning streak said on Wednesday.
History Professor Allan Lichtman of American University in Washington has accurately predicted the popular result in presidential elections since Republican President Ronald Reagan defeated Democratic challenger Walter Mondale in 1984.
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Confusion Over Trump Appeal Means Markets Risk Brexit-Like Shock Law & Politics |
Minutes into last week’s presidential debate, investors decided that Donald Trump, a candidate many of them fear, was being outshone by Hillary Clinton. This, they figured, would help stem his momentum, and so they frantically bid up the value of the Mexican peso, a currency that has become an election barometer. The next day, the S&P 500 Index jumped 0.6 percent.
But the Trump candidacy is largely unaffected by policy debate skills, and the failure to grasp that could lead markets into the kind of misstep and turmoil that the U.K.’s vote to leave the European Union did, according to a number of market analysts.
“This is an unusual juncture but we keep looking at it through the same kinds of lenses,” said Tina Fordham, Citigroup Inc.’s London-based chief global political analyst. “What if it’s all wrong because society, technology, opinion polling methods, and everything else don’t capture marginalized voters in the way they might once have?”
Conclusions
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Battle of Aleppo is end of history in the Middle East BY M.K. BHADRAKUMAR Law & Politics |
Russia’s possible victory in Syria will mark the end of western hegemony over the Middle East, and historians are bound to single it out as the defining foreign-policy legacy of Obama’s presidency.
On Monday, Barack Obama administration fulfilled its week-old threat to ‘suspend’ bilateral talks with Russia over Syrian crisis. Are the dogs of war being unleashed?
The thought may seem preposterous but tensions are palpable.
The US spy planes are spotted ever more frequently in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Black Sea over Russian bases, especially Tartus and Hmeimim in Syria.
Russia has deployed SA-23 Gladiator anti-missile and anti-aircraft system in Syria, first-ever such deployment outside Russia. The western analysts see it as pre-emptive step to counter any American cruise missile attack. Russia is not taking chances.
The Defence Ministry in Moscow said the deployment is intended “to provide protection for the naval logistics facility in Tartus and the Russian Navy’s task force”.
Moscow factors in that US may use some rebel groups to ensure that Russian “body bags” are sent to Moscow, as threatened explicitly by US state department spokesman John Kirby last week. Moscow suspects American hand in the missile attack on the Russian embassy in Damascus – “Brits and Ukrainians clumsily helped the Americans”, a Russian statement in New York said on Tuesday.
Indeed, passions are running high. There could be several dozen western intelligence operatives trapped with the rebel groups in east Aleppo. This is one thing.
Clearly, the turning point was reached when the US and western allies undertook a fierce air attack on the Syrian army base at Deir Ezzor lasting an hour and killing 62 government troops. The US explanation of that being an accident lost credibility, since within an hour of the air strike, extremist groups of al-Qaeda followed up with ground attack as if acting in tandem.
The point is, with the fall of Aleppo, Syrian war becomes de facto a residual military operation to purge the al-Qaeda affiliate Jubhat al-Nusra from Idlib province as well, which means regime forces would secure control over the entire populous regions of Syria, all main cities and entire Mediterranean coast. In a nutshell, Syrian war ends with President Bashar al-Assad ensconced in power.
However, if Obama decides against the war option, three other reasons can also be attributed. One, Washington’s equations with Ankara and Riyadh are hugely uncertain at the moment and both regional allies are key partners in Syria.
The US-Turkish ties remain volatile not only due to the attempted coup in July but also because of the US’ tie-up with Kurds and growing Turkish suspicions regarding its intentions in Syria.
On the other hand, Riyadh is mulling over the best way of drinking from the chalice of poison that the US Congress prepared for King Salman in the form of the ‘sue-the-Saudis-for-the-9/11’ bill.
Two, President Recep Erdogan is unlikely to gamble another confrontation with Russia when Turkey’s legitimate interests in Syria can be secured by working in tandem with President Vladimir Putin at the negotiating table.
In fact, Putin is visiting Ankara shortly. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif also visited Turkey last week.
Above all, Turks are realists and their excellent intelligence apparatus inside Aleppo would have reported back by now that the fall of the ancient city is a fait accompli.
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+ 9. Jamie Dimon Made One of the Year's Best Trades @Business International Trade |
It was perfectly timed.
Back on February 11 of this year, Jamie Dimon, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of JPMorgan Chase & Co., made a highly publicized purchase of 500,000 shares of his own company's stock, worth about $26.6 million at the time. The stock ended up hitting a bottom that day and has surged more than 25 percent since then.
Those 500,000 shares are now worth $33.85 million, gaining $7.25 million in value. The company's stock is now very close to a 52-week high that was set last November.
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May 2015 '"The revolutionary contingent attains its ideal form not in the place of production, but in the street'" Africa |
PAUL Virilio (born 1932) is a French cultural theorist and urbanist.
In his book ‘Speed and Politics’ he says: “The revolutionary contingent attains its ideal form not in the place of production, but in the street, where for a moment it stops being a cog in the technical machine and itself becomes a motor (machine of attack), becomes in other words a producer of speed.’’
As we look around the world today, we can see a battle for the ‘street’ from the streets of Bujumbura to the streets of Baltimore. In November last year, I wrote about Ouagadougou’s signal to sub-Saharan Africa and concluded that: We need to ask ourselves how many people can incumbent shoot stone cold dead in such a situation – 100, 1000, 10000?
This is another point: there is a threshold beyond which the incumbent cannot go. Where that threshold lies will be discov- ered in the throes of the event.
Therefore, the preeminent point to note is that protests in Burkina Faso achieved escape velocity.
Conclusions
This is an issue that is facing a lot of Regimes from Ethiopia to the DR Congo.
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France moots DRC sanctions with elections delayed Africa |
France says it's seeking EU sanctions to press Congolese President Joseph Kabila to make way for delayed elections. The US imposed sanctions last month against two individuals, with the EU yet to act.
The French foreign ministry said Tuesday the EU should use "all means at its disposal," including sanctions, to bring about a political transition in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Prosecution was also needed "against those guilty of human rights violations," said ministry spokesman Romain Nidal, referring to the deaths of dozens of people in recent clashes between protestors and security forces.
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Nigeria's economy is likely to shrink 1.3 percent in 2016, the National Bureau of Statistics executive said on Wednesday Africa |
The NBS had predicted the Nigerian economy to grow 3.8 percent in 2016, but low oil prices have hammered the OPEC member's government income and the naira, and recession first appeared in the second quarter with 2.1 percent contraction.
A contraction in 2016 would mark Nigeria's first year of recession in 25 years. NBS head Yemi Kale said the economy was likely to shrink in the third quarter.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) already predicted in July that Nigeria's economy would contract 1.8 percent this year.
Nigeria's economy is likely to shrink 1.3 percent in 2016, the National Bureau of Statistics executive said on Wednesday, a sharp downward revision of its estimates he said was prompted by sharp falls in the naira after dollar peg was dropped.
The NBS had predicted the Nigerian economy to grow 3.8 percent in 2016, but low oil prices have hammered the OPEC member's government income and the naira, and recession first appeared in the second quarter with 2.1 percent contraction.
A contraction in 2016 would mark Nigeria's first year of recession in 25 years. NBS head Yemi Kale said the economy was likely to shrink in the third quarter.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) already predicted in July that Nigeria's economy would contract 1.8 percent this year.
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Bankers lobby on the defensive over illegal charges accusations Kenyan Economy |
The Kenya Bankers Association (KBA) said that the charges that borrowers are complaining about have been in force and that some may not have known about them due to a “lack of customer awareness.”
The association, which represents 45 banks, claims its members have complied with the new law.
“We have aligned our members to ensure there is compliance,” said KBA chief executive officer Habil Olaka in an interview Wednesday.
“If a bank has not got approval from the central bank for a new charge, then the charge does not stand. However, if the charge has been there and it has been approved by the central bank and only that the customer has not been made aware and now he has been made aware then that charge is legal.”
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Foreign-held shares at the NSE shoot up to an all-time high @BD_Africa Kenyan Economy |
The percentage of free float at the NSE held by foreign investors rose to an all-time high of 37.2 per cent by mid this year, raising the risk that mass share sell-off would have a negative spin-off on the forex market and the economy.
Market analysis by HTM Capital shows that foreign investors have increased their holding of the freely traded shares in large-cap stocks such as Safaricom, BAT and Equity Bank and now hold Sh335 billion out of the Sh900 billion worth of free float shares at the NSE.
The market’s total market capitalisation stands at Sh1.99 trillion.
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N.S.E Today |
The International markets remain edgy. Gold was last at $1,265.00 an ounce having lost its $1,300.00+ perch this week. Crude has topped 3 months highs above $50.00 a barrel but a wall of [shale] supply will be switch on above $55.00. Interestingly Raw sugar +51% Year to date has been the best Commodity performer in 2016 but this has not been a tail-wind for Mumias Sugar which is -34.375% Year to date which represents an outsize divergence. The pound was last trading with a 1.26 handle and is trading on the basis of the ''negative rhetoric'' and is a Buy at these levels. SSA [Nigeria in recession and SA just skirting one represent 50% of SSA GDP] will post its slowest GDP expansion in 2016 going back to the early 1990s. The Nairobi All Share Index eased 0.21 points to close at 137.53. The All Share Index is -5.6% Year to date and has rebounded +6.077% since closing at a multi-year low on 5th September. The Nairobi NSE20 Index retreated 20.82 points to close at 3264.03 The NSE20 Index is -19.22% through 2016 and is +4.72% since closing at a multi-year low 30th August Equity turnover was 292.135m. The percentage of free float at the NSE held by foreign investors rose to an all-time high of 37.2 per cent by mid year, which was before the outsize volatility hit the Banking segment [where foreign Shareholders hold their largest cumulative position] post the Interest rate capping Bill. The biggest single position is probably in Safaricom as a % of its Free Float. HTM Capital calculated that Foreign investors hold Sh335 billion out of the Sh900 billion worth of free float shares at the NSE. The market’s total market capitalisation stands at Sh1.99 trillion.
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N.S.E Equities - Commercial & Services |
Safaricom has more Buyers than Sellers at these levels [Ratio 1.5-1] and closed unchanged at 20.00 and traded 3.648m shares. Safaricom has served up a +31.16% Total Return in 2016 which is plan remarkable versus the domestic Indices NSE All Share -6.00% in 2016 but that performance would be much worse of Safaricom was removed from the Index calculation.
Kenya Airways firmed +2.5% to close at a 3 month high of 4.10 and has crossed the 4.00 Level which had previously proven strong resistance. Kenya Airways traded 991,100 shares.
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N.S.E Equities - Finance & Investment |
Equity Group was the most actively traded share at the Exchange and eased back -2.44% to close at 30.00 and traded 2.44m shares worth 73.249m. Equity Group has traded a 25.00-38.00 range since the announcement of the Rate Capping Bill and sits +20% above its 2016 Low of 25.00 from 14th through 16th September. Dr. Mwangi who issued a rallying cry to the Diaspora last week in london to invest back home has stated that Equity was sitting on a war-chest of 100b shillings which they were ready to put to work.
Standard Chartered closed unchanged at 180.00 and traded 26,200 shares. I spoke with Standard Chartered's CEO Lamin Manjang today and he quoted Andy Grove who said ''"Success breeds complacency. Complacency breeds failure. Only the paranoid survive." Stanchart is +13.33% on a Total Return Basis and has vastly outperformed the NSE Banking sub-index.
KCB Group eased back -1.73% to close at 28.25 and traded 935,700 shares. Joshua Oigara has made a series of announcements around KCB Fintech and is self-evidently making a big and bold move into digital finch Future.
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N.S.E Equities - Industrial & Allied |
Bamburi Cement rallied +2.64% to close at 155.00 and traded 5,300 shares.
Trans-Century [which has surely been the most volatile counter at the NSE] rallied for the second session in a row to close at 8.10 and making that a 20% two da
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