- The Daily Brief, by The Kenyan Wall Street
- Posts
- African economies and the Trump Factor
African economies and the Trump Factor
Your daily dose of financial news
Hello đź‘‹
Here is Brian from The Kenyan Wall Street.
Welcome to today's edition of our daily newsletter…
Our leading stories today ...
The Trump Administration and Sub-Saharan Africa
Donald Trump’s first presidency has often been described as transactional, prioritizing “America First” policies that reshaped U.S. foreign relations. While Africa was not a central focus during his first term, his administration’s actions indirectly influenced the region. Trade relations shifted with a preference for bilateral agreements over multilateral frameworks like AGOA, while rhetoric around trade imbalances and competition with China signaled a broader strategic interest. However, this limited engagement left many African nations without clear direction on U.S. priorities for the continent. This article analyses how Trump's policies will affect Africa's economies in the wake of the Chinese strife for influence…
T-Bill Rates Fall Below 12% Amid CBK Rate Cuts
Yields on treasury bills (T-Bills) have declined sharply, falling below 12% for the first time since July 2023 after aggressive interest rate cuts by the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK). In August, the CBK kicked off its first easing campaign in the year with a 25-basis points rate cut, and a subsequent 75 basis points, bringing the benchmark rate to 12.00%. In the latest monetary policy review, the CBK slashed the benchmark interest rate again by 75 basis points to 11.25%, edging back to 2023 levels. Data from the CBK shows the interest rates on the shorter-dated securities – the 91-day, 182 day and 364-day papers have tumbled since the start of August just after the first rate cut. More details on this story here…
M-Pesa Subscribers Hit 34 million
Partnerships with APIs such as the Daraja platform have enabled Safaricom’s M-Pesa to broaden its integration range with Point-of-Sale (POS) systems, websites, and mobile apps, driving the number of subscribers up by 1.5% between October and November. Safaricom noted that the number of subscribers rose to 34 million thanks to over 90,000 developers that have facilitated over 40,000 integrations. The Telco has been on an aggressive campaign to solidify its market share after data from the Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) showed that M-Pesa lost some of its market share from 94.9% to 93.4%. On the flip side, Airtel Money’s market share gained Airtel Networks gained 1.5% of the market share in the period under review. Also read how M-Pesa’s value range is a concern to lawmakers…
Bitcoin Hits $100k Achieves $2 Trillion Market Cap
Bitcoin has reached the historic milestone of $100,000 per coin, propelling its total market capitalization past $2 trillion. This firmly places Bitcoin alongside gold and tech giants like Apple and NVIDIA as one of only seven assets or companies to achieve such a valuation. The rally comes amid shifting market conditions, increasing institutional adoption, and renewed optimism for crypto-friendly regulation in the U.S. Here are some of the key drivers for this growth…
Stories you missed
Opinion and Commentary
David K. Kemei, Director-General, Competition Authority of Kenya (CAK) explains why promoting fair trade practices enhances competition in the market…
Citi Economists Review Sub-Saharan Africa’s Economic Dynamics at a Year-end Media Brief and explore if the continent is undergoing another important moment in its growth trajectory.
On The Trading Floor…
How the Kenyan stock market performed today| SOURCE : NSE
Video of the Day
Have a lovely weekend!