African Markets - Factors to watch on Aug 15

NAIROBI, KENYA:  The following company announcements, scheduled economic indicators, debt and currency market moves and political events may affect African markets on Friday.

EVENTS:

MALAWI - Malawi's central bank due to announce key lending rate in its fourth Monetary Policy Committee meeting for this  year.

Last month the Reserve Bank of Malawi cut its policy  rate by 250 bps to 22.5 percent, saying a larger reduction was possible but decided to take a measured approach and wait for the budget process.

BOTSWANA - Botswana's statistics office due to release July inflation data. Consumer inflation inched up 4.6 percent year-on-year in June compared with 4.5 percent in May.

ZIMBABWE - President Robert Mugabe hosts Southern African Development Community (SADC) leaders at a summit in Victoria Falls, the first major gathering hosted by the country in more than a decade during which Zimbabwe's political crisis was regularly discussed at regional summits. (Aug 16-17)  GLOBAL MARKETS

 Asian shares pulled higher on Friday, on track for a winning week, while the euro remained close to nine-month lows after downbeat data.

WORLD OIL PRICES

 Brent crude edged up on Friday, helped by weakness in the dollar, but it remained near a 13-month low below $103 a barrel as a shaky European economy fuelled concern about demand in a well-supplied oil market.

EMERGING MARKETS

AFRICA CURRENCY WEEKAHEAD

The Tanzanian shilling is seen holding steady in the days ahead, helped by dollar inflows from the agriculture sector.

 In Nigeria, increasing demand for safe-haven assets is expected to keep the naira under pressure.               

 AFRICA INVESTMENT   

The experience of Harmony Gold  provides a stark warning for investors and metals traders banking on South  Africa's platinum sector making a swift recovery from the crippling five-month strike that ended in June.               

 WEST AFRICA EBOLA OUTBREAK

Staff with the World Health Organisation battling an Ebola outbreak in West Africa see evidence the numbers of reported cases and deaths vastly underestimates the scale of the outbreak, the U.N. agency said on its website on Thursday.

 Kenya Airways said it will continue its flights to Monrovia and Freetown. Kenyan Transport Minister Michael Kamau told a news conference the Korean Air decision may have been based on a WHO statement that Kenya should be classed as high risk of Ebola because of those direct flights.

"The statement by WHO yesterday was regrettable. It was retracted," he said. There was no immediate comment from WHO                  

SOUTH AFRICA MARKETS

South African stocks fell for a third straight session on Thursday after a slew of financial results knocked prices of companies such as lender Standard Bank and mining firm Harmony Gold.

South Africa's rand posted a fifth straight session of gains against the dollar on Thursday after a surprise rise in  U.S. jobless claims dampened concerns that the Federal Reserve will have to start raising interest rates soon. ZAR/

NIGERIA MARKETS

Nigeria sold 100 billion naira ($616.90 million) worth of bonds with maturities ranging between three and 20 years at auction on Wednesday, fetching higher yields than previously, the Debt Management Office said on Thursday.               

ANGOLA INFLATION

Angola's consumer inflation was at 6.98 percent year-on-year in July, from 6.89 percent in June, data from the statistics office showed.               

 KENYA MARKETS

 The Kenyan shilling was little changed on Thursday after a slowdown in dollar demand from companies put off by tight liquidity, while stocks nudged higher.               

 KENYA 91-DAY T-BILLS   

The yield on Kenya's 91-day Treasury bills nudged lower to 8.234 percent at Thursday's auction, down from 8.244 percent last week, the central bank said.             

 STANCHART KENYA RESULTS

 Standard Chartered Kenya SCBK.NR posted a 23.6 percent rise in first-half pretax profit year on year thanks to higher net  interest income, in line with rival banks that have also benefited from steady interest rates and economic growth.           

 KENYA RE RESULTS

Kenya Reinsurance Corp KNRE.NR reported a 6 percent rise in first-half pretax profit to 1.7 billion shillings ($19.4million) on Thursday as revenue increased from its businesses in Kenya and other African markets.

KENYA CUTS FUEL PRICES

Kenya's energy regulator cut retail prices of diesel and kerosene on Thursday, and increased petrol pump prices, reflecting changes in their import costs.

UGANDA MARKETS

Uganda's central bank kept its main lending rate UGCBIR=ECI at 11 percent on Thursday, saying inflation was within its target and the economy was on track to grow 6 percent this fiscal year.                   

 ETHIOPIAN AIRLINES NEW ORDERS   

 Ethiopian Airlines ETHA.UL will by the end of next week decide on which planes it will buy from Boeing Co BA.N and  Airbus Group NV AIR.PA, as the carrier seeks to add as many  as 70 new jets to its fleet, the firm's head told the Wall  Street Journal in an interview.             

MAURITIUS COMPANY RESULTS

Terra Mauricia TERA.MZ, a leading Mauritian sugar producer, reported a bigger pretax loss in its first half  blaming low sugar prices in the European Union where it  exports most of its produce.               

Mauritius' leading sugar producer Omnicane MTMD.MZ  reported a wider first half pretax loss than a year earlier  due to falling sugar prices and rising repair and maintenance  costs, the company said on Thursday.               

Luxury hotels group New Mauritius Hotels (NHM) NMH.MZ  reported a 5 percent decline in nine-month pretax profit to 563.20 million rupees ($18.4 million) due to fewer visitors to the Indian Ocean island.           

Higher passenger figures helped Air Mauritius trim its first-quarter pretax loss to 6.67 million euros ($8.93 million) from 8.08 million a year earlier, the airline said on Thursday.               

 State Bank of Mauritius (SBM) SBML.MZ reported a 7.6 percent fall in first-half pretax profit, mainly due to an increase in bad debts and lower income from fees.           

SOUTH SUDAN     

South Sudan President Salva Kiir and rebel chief Riek Machar show little interest in making a deal to end months of fighting that has brought the nation to the brink of "man-made" famine, U.N. Security Council envoys said during a visit to East Africa.