NAIROBI, March 17 (Reuters) - The following company announcements, scheduled economic indicators, debt and currency market moves and political events may affect African markets on Wednesday.
Global Markets
Asian stocks were set to open mostly lower on Wednesday following a sell-off in U.S. stocks, as investors awaited the Federal Reserve's meeting and whether the central bank will maintain near-zero interest rates amid the economy's post-pandemic recovery.
Oil Prices
Oil prices slipped for a fourth day on Wednesday on worries about rocky demand in Europe, even as hopes of a recovery in U.S. refinery activity were boosted by industry data that showed U.S. crude stockpiles unexpectedly fell last week.
South Africa Markets
The South African rand firmed against a steady dollar on Tuesday as the currency continued to take its cue from swings in global markets that generally lacked direction ahead of a U.S. Federal Reserve meeting.
Markets
The Kenyan shilling (KES=) was steady on Tuesday as importer demand was matched by inflows from commodity exporters, traders said.
Politics
A Tanzanian opposition leader on Tuesday urged the government to tell the public about the health of President John Magufuli, who has not been seen in public for more than two weeks, saying citizens had the right to know about his condition.
Economy
Nigeria needs to be given a chance to reset and diversify its economy, its central bank governor said on Tuesday, addressing concerns raised by the World Trade Organization.
Mobile Banking
Nigerian regulators have set a flat fee for financial transactions done via mobile phones, replacing a billing system that caused disagreements between telecoms firms and lenders.