The following company announcements, scheduled economic indicators, debt and currency market moves and political events may affect African markets on Wednesday.
GLOBAL MARKETS
Asian shares climbed to a record high on Wednesday as U.S. Treasury Secretary nominee Janet Yellen advocated for a hefty fiscal relief package to help the world's largest economy ride out a pandemic-driven slump.
WORLD OIL PRICES
Oil prices rose on Wednesday, adding to solid gains overnight, on expectations the incoming U.S. administration will go ahead with massive stimulus spending that would boost fuel demand and draw down crude stocks.
SOUTH AFRICA MARKETS
South Africa's rand rose strongly on Tuesday, helped by a surge in global risk appetite as investors expected Janet Yellen to use her confirmation speech as U.S. Treasury Secretary to lay out the case for more stimulus spending.
VACCINES
Nigeria will seek to procure vaccines that are less dependent on cooling facilities, the head of the country's primary healthcare agency said on Tuesday, adding that talks were in progress with Russia and India to procure such vaccines.
MARKETS
The Kenyan shilling KES= was stable against the dollar on Tuesday as hard currency inflows from Kenyans abroad and offshore investors into the local debt market kept it well supported.
COPPER MINE
Zambia's state mining investment arm ZCCM-IH has agreed to buy Glencore (LON:GLEN)'s GLEN.L majority stake in Mopani Copper Mines in a $1.5 billion deal funded by debt and will seek a new investor, the government said on Tuesday.
ELECTION
Uganda accused the U.S. ambassador on Tuesday of seeking to subvert last week's presidential election by trying to visit the main opposition candidate at his home, which has been surrounded by security forces since the vote.
CORONAVIRUS
Rwanda has re-introduced tough lockdown measures in its capital Kigali after a surge in coronavirus cases.