E-Financial
Market Turmoil Resumes as Virus Fears Deepen
Investors have suffered a tough start to the second quarter due to the coronavirus pandemic. After climbing 17.9% from its low in the past seven trading days, the S&P 500 kicked off the new quarter with a 4.4% decline.
It seems most of the global fiscal and monetary stimulus measures have been priced in and the things that matter most at this stage are the infection and death rates of Covid-19.
Psychology has a great impact on asset prices, and with more people realising that the virus could reach them in some way or have already infected someone they know, that’s a good enough reason for explaining why risk assets are unloved.
The upward move in equities we’ve seen over the past week may prove to be a temporary recovery, a dead cat bounce or a bear market rally. Call it whatever you like, but as long as infection rates continue to grow at the current pace, this more or less guarantees weak economic performance going forward and a collapse in earnings.
With global infections likely to reach one million later today and deaths surpassing 50,000, investors are focusing on capital preservation and are looking to return to cash. That suggests another leg lower in equity prices over the next couple of weeks, until investors have a better understanding on how the current crisis will end.
Of course, no one knows with certainty how bad this pandemic will impact global economies and corporate earnings. But it is obvious that corporate buybacks, a major component of the past decade’s bull market, will be missing in 2020 and probably in 2021 depending on how long the crisis persists. These buybacks have been by far the greatest course of demand for stocks since the 2008 crisis.
While some investors may want to take this opportunity of extreme pessimism to begin accumulating stocks, they may soon realise that we haven’t reached the capitulation stage yet. That is when investors surrender or give up trying to recapture lost gains as a result of falling stock prices and is generally considered to be a sign of a bottom in prices.
Today’s US weekly jobless claims release for the week ending March 28 is going to be of more importance than Friday’s non-farm payrolls report. That’s because the NFP will only include data through March 14, so it doesn’t reflect the impact of the last two weeks when millions of Americans filed for unemployment benefits.
Jobless claims may have risen 3 – 5 million in the past week, and we could even see a higher revision of the last week’s 3.28 million print. That suggests April’s NFP may show job losses in 8 digits, which could turn out to be the darkest day ever in the US job market.
Titan Trust Bank has selected Oracle FSS for its core and digital banking technology, it is understood.
The start-up bank recently obtained its license by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
It’s understood that Temenos and Infosys also competed for the deal.
The shortlist came down to the two most widely installed international core systems in Nigeria, Infosys’ Finacle and Oracle FSS’s Flexcube.
The Nigerian banking sector has seen a great deal of upheaval over the years, with many mergers, start-ups and closures. Flexcube is a well respected name since the late 1990s (the pioneer was Access Bank, now one of the country’s top five banks) and has been a commonly selected platform since then.
The new bank is believed to be one of five to have gained regulatory approval of late (Globus Bank is another).
Local media sources say the new licences stem from the Central Bank’s desire to attract new investments into the sector and better serve the country’s 50 million+ unbanked and under-banked citizens.
Titan Bank is said to be headed by a former executive director of Heritage Bank (which is a Finacle user).
Oracle FSS did not respond to request for comment.
International Monetary Fund (IMF), has appointed Tony Elumelu, Nigerian billionaire and group chairman of Heirs Holdings, owners of United Bank of Africa, to its advisory council on entrepreneurship and growth, convened by Kristalina Georgieva, the fund managing director.
The announcement was disclosed in a statement on Friday.
According to the statement, the IMF advisory council comprises global business leaders, policymakers, and academics dedicated to identifying and addressing regulatory barriers to entrepreneurship.
The IMF said Elumelu will be instrumental in ensuring that Africa’s entrepreneurship is central in policy making.
“Elumelu, Africa’s leading advocate of entrepreneurship and whose Foundation has funded, mentored, and trained over 25,000 African entrepreneurs since 2015, champions entrepreneurship as the engine for the economic transformation of Africa,” the statement reads.
“A self-made entrepreneur, Elumelu’s embracing of entrepreneurship is fundamental to his concept of Africapitalism, his belief that Africa’s private sector can and must play a leading role in the continent’s development, making long-term investments that deliver social and economic value.
“Elumelu will be instrumental in ensuring that Africa’s entrepreneurial potential is central to global economic policy making.”
Speaking at the inaugural meeting of the advisory council on March 26, Georgieva said the appointees would share their experiences on how macroeconomic and financial policies “can provide a supportive environment for innovation, entrepreneurship, and productivity — key ingredients for a thriving private sector and strong economic growth”.
Africa’s Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises, fintech industry, scaling remittances, and cross-border payments will be the driving forces behind the continent’s digital ballooning payments system, which is estimated to reach $1.5 trillion by 2030.
This is according to a MasterCard-commissioned study by Genesis Analytics, which states that the digital payments economy is growing faster on the continent.
This comes as the World Bank says Sub-Saharan Africa has shown significant growth in financial inclusion over the past decade, much of it driven by mobile money account adoption.
Dimitrios Dosis, president, Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa at MasterCard, comments: “Africa is filled with immense possibilities, and its people have the potential to shape the global economy in the decades ahead.
“MasterCard remains deeply committed to driving digital transformation across the continent, working closely with entrepreneurs, merchants, banks, start-ups, telcos, and governments. By increasing our investments, expanding innovation, and fostering inclusion, we are helping build a more connected and accessible digital future.”
The payment technology company went on to say as a longstanding technology partner to Africa, its continues to strengthen its commitment to the continent’s digital growth through strategic investments, public-private partnerships, and innovation initiatives that drive financial health and economic growth.
In addition, it says trends in Africa signal a strong shift towards digital transactions, with businesses and consumers increasingly embracing contactless solutions, further accelerating economic participation and financial accessibility across the region.
“For over five decades, MasterCard has worked alongside African governments, businesses, and communities to advance financial inclusion and economic development.
“With Africa projected to host nine of the world’s 20 fastest-growing economies, we are focused on leveraging our expertise and a technology to support the continent’s continued digital transformation.
“Our investments today will help build a more resilient economy for the future,” says Mark Elliott, division president, Africa, MasterCard
By fostering collaboration with key stakeholders, MasterCard says it aims to enhance digital connectivity, expand economic opportunities, and enable millions of people and businesses to thrive in the digital economy.
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