The Stears Weekly Macroeconomic Report highlights the macroeconomic trends and policy shifts shaping the African investment landscape, helping you make informed decisions in dynamic markets.
Country updates
Central Africa
Foreign exchange
As the Democratic Republic of Congo's health crisis from the Ebola outbreak deepens and security concerns persist, market sentiment is bearish. This is negatively impacting the Congolese franc (CDF), which lost 0.5% last week, extending its losses. The CDF will face additional pressure as dollar earnings from cobalt and copper exports are threatened by the export ban and security challenges in key extraction regions. In Angola, the kwanza remains stable, supported by central bank interventions. However, lower oil export earnings threaten the currency's stability, especially if the Ebola outbreak in the neighbouring DRC spreads to the country, which would apply downward pressure to fiscal revenues. The Central African CFA franc (XAF) maintained its upward momentum as the euro remained strong against the U.S. dollar, a
