Global oil markets are entering renewed volatility. Geopolitical tensions, shipping disruptions, and strategic producer decisions make sustained high prices more likely. The impact of oil prices in Africa goes beyond energy; they serve as a crucial economic lever shaping the fate of nations across the continent. Understanding this larger role sets the foundation for examining…
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Why GDP, inflation, and FX numbers increasingly reflect narrative, not measurement Global markets depend on economic indicators that purport to be precise but often fall short. GDP growth expressed to the decimal, inflation to the basis point, and FX reserves to the dollar all offer a sense of certainty underpinning pricing and forecasting. Yet this…
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Christmas is no longer just a religious festival; over the years, it has become more of a celebratory holiday for spreading love and cheer. It is the most awaited time of the year, not just because you get to spend quality time with your loved ones or exchange gifts with them but also because businesses…
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In practical terms, President Kagame is poised to remain President for life as Rwandans continue to vote in favour of peace and development over justice and democracy. With a c.99% vote share in the 2024 presidential elections, Paul Kagame – the incumbent Rwandan President – crushed election victory and will be extending his nearly a…
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The economy is a snapshot of people’s activities — i.e. the allocation of resources including money and time. When the economic story becomes too noisy to interpret, and too much bad air conquers the circulating narrative, it can lead people to expect the worst. What people expect can soon end up happening, and right now…
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2022 is the year many had projected that the world economy will fully recover from the pandemic. Not until Omicron struck, dampening the upbeat recovery mood. With the worst of the pandemic behind us and the risk of multiple waves and mutants ahead, economic expectations are being dimmed, the most recent being the International monetary…
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The year of the metal rat (i.e. 2020) is clearly not the year for the Nigerian consumer. A cross-current of declining incomes and rising prices implies that there is no robust consumer out there. Lending credence to this fact is the pessimistic response of the Q2’20 Consumer Expectations Survey (CES) which was attributed largely to…
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The use of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) as a measure of economic progress has been under fire by welfare economists in recent years as they postulate that GDP figures do not capture the adverse environmental effects of economic processes. Economic progress can be linked to the people’s prosperity and happiness and citizens of countries that…
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The Phillips curve indicates the trade-off between employment and price stability. Price stability is the primary objective of central banks but this cannot be achieved without pursuing associated objectives such as sustainable economic growth, full employment, stable long-term interest rates and stable real exchange rates. The tool is based on the ideology that, ceteris paribus, an…
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