August 26, 2013

More on Egypt


The volatile situation in Egypt is headline news and is changing rapidly with very little clarity on what the final outcome will be, and when it will be. And yet despite all that’s going on, the Egyptian stock market has remained almost eerily stable. While there has been some weakness, of course, “the damage hasn’t been that great,” said Larry Seruma, chief investment officer and managing principal of Nile Capital Management in New York, a firm that invests throughout the Middle East North Africa (MENA) region, Egypt included, “and the weakness has been far less than one would have expected.”
Click through to read the entire article - As Investors Wait on Egypt to Settle, Africa Holds Up.


Nile Capital Management
We Know Africa: From Cairo to Cape Town
For more information please call 646-367-2820

August 16, 2013

Upgrade Nigeria to Emerging Market?
Downgrade Egypt to Frontier Market?



No?  (OK, maybe only dropping Egypt out of EM is more likely.) In any event, consider the following...
Nigeria has surpassed Egypt as the second largest stock market in Africa – at least by market capitalization.  The Nigeria Stock Exchange market capitalization now stands at $72 billion compared to $32 billion for Egypt, and the average trading volume is $40 million per day versus $15 million, respectively.  Now this is just the market data – but other metrics are also favorable for Nigeria relative to Egypt, for example, increasing political stability. For more on Egypt's current turmoil click through to read Egypt's Market Regression from BloombergBusinessweek.

Nile Capital Management
We Know Africa: From Cairo to Cape Town
For more information please call 646-367-2820 

August 8, 2013

Where and How to Invest in Africa?

Where and How to Invest in Africa
Again this morning I had the pleasure of speaking about investing in Africa with Bloomberg Radio's always inquisitive Tom Keene. Since I last spoke to Tom in June on his "Bloomberg Surveillance" broadcast, I've visited with corporate managers and toured company facilities in more than a few countries around the African continent, including Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Mozambique, Namibia, and South Africa.
This morning's discussion was in part an update as well as a continuation of our earlier discussion, albeit with more pointed questions about where and how to invest in Africa, and asset allocation guidance. Follow this link to the podcast to listen to the discussion in its entirety.

Nile Capital Management
We Know Africa: From Cairo to Cape Town
For more information please call 646-367-2820 


August 7, 2013

Nairobi Airport Damaged by Fire

Nairobi Airport Fire
Kenyan President Kenyatta visits the Nairobi airport on August 7 to check out the damage.
CNN update says some flights have now resumed at Nairobi's Kenyatta International Airport. Earlier today the airport suffered extensive damage and had been completely closed as a result of a massive fire that had engulfed the airport's international terminal.
At this point, there are no reports of injuries, and the extent to which the damage will negatively impact the tourism trade and the flow of imports and exports, even if minimal, is yet to be determined. 
For more details, click through to CNN, and the BBC.


Nile Capital Management
We Know Africa: From Cairo to Cape Town
For more information please call 646-367-2820