Welcome to Next Africa, a twice-weekly newsletter on where the continent stands now — and where it’s headed. Sign up here to have it delivered to your email. Somaliland has been pursuing international recognition ever since it declared itself independent from Somalia in 1991. It has finally made some headway, with Israel recognizing it as a sovereign state and its foreign minister, Gideon Sa’ar, p...
Welcome to Next Africa, a twice-weekly newsletter on where the continent stands now — and where it’s headed. Sign up here to have it delivered to your email. Somaliland has been pursuing international recognition ever since it declared itself independent from Somalia in 1991. It has finally made some headway, with Israel recognizing it as a sovereign state and its foreign minister, Gideon Sa’ar, paying a visit this week. Somalia, which regards Somaliland as an integral part of its territory, reacted with predictable outrage, describing the deal as unlawful and a deliberate attack on its own sovereignty. Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, the chairman of the African Union Commission, also chimed in, warning that there’s a risk of a dangerous precedent being set — with far-reaching implications for peace and stability across the continent. Somaliland’s quest for autonomy is understandable. While civil war has mired Somalia for three decades and it ranks among the poorest nations on earth, the breakaway territory has been mostly peaceful, is better governed and is way more prosperous. For Israel, the tie-up gives it a new partner on the strategic Gulf of Aden. It could also provide Jerusalem with a convenient launchpad to attack the Houthis, who have fired missiles at Israel and attacked ships in the Red Sea from their base in Yemen. Africa’s response has been equally rational. Governments across the continent face an ongoing struggle to maintain national unity and will be spooked by the notion of secessionist groups proclaiming independence and winning international support. Somaliland still has a long way to go before it realizes its dream of becoming a stand-alone country. US President Donald Trump says he is still considering the matter of recognition, while China, Turkey and most of the Arab world have backed Somalia and reaffirmed its existing boundaries. The territory’s pact with Israel has nonetheless opened a can of worms that the rest of the region wishes had remained fir...
Cocoa whipsawed in New York, as exporters took advantage of buying related to index rebalancing to lock in more favorable prices. Futures swung between gains and losses on Friday, following a jump of as much as 6.1% on Thursday. Prices are up about 3% this week amid the rebalancing of broad commodity indexes, which Peak Trading Research has estimated could draw purchases of about 37,000 cocoa cont...
Cocoa whipsawed in New York, as exporters took advantage of buying related to index rebalancing to lock in more favorable prices. Futures swung between gains and losses on Friday, following a jump of as much as 6.1% on Thursday. Prices are up about 3% this week amid the rebalancing of broad commodity indexes, which Peak Trading Research has estimated could draw purchases of about 37,000 cocoa contracts. After hitting a record high in December 2024 in the wake of poor harvests in West Africa, cocoa futures halved last year amid better supplies, prompting sellers to sit on the sidelines and wait for higher prices. Exporters have now seized a recent market uptick to hedge, tempering further upside, according to Hamburg-based trader Hanseatic Cocoa & Commodity Office. Read More: Cocoa Set to Lure a Wall of Index Buying After Slump From Record Aggregate open interest — the number of outstanding cocoa contracts — has picked up in recent weeks to the highest since February, though is far below levels seen a couple of years ago. The addition of positions could potentially amplify price moves in a relatively small market. Cocoa futures fell 0.6% to $6,041 a ton in New York. London cocoa was down 0.4%. In other soft commodities, arabica coffee dropped 1.5% in New York. Raw sugar slipped 0.6%.
Dutch telecommunications group Odido is considering launching an initial public offering as soon as this month that could raise about €1 billion ($1.2 billion) or more, according to people familiar with the matter. The mobile network, owned by buyout firms Apax Partners and Warburg Pincus , has revived plans for an Amsterdam listing, said the people, who asked not to be identified as the informati...
Dutch telecommunications group Odido is considering launching an initial public offering as soon as this month that could raise about €1 billion ($1.2 billion) or more, according to people familiar with the matter. The mobile network, owned by buyout firms Apax Partners and Warburg Pincus , has revived plans for an Amsterdam listing, said the people, who asked not to be identified as the information is private. Odido originally intended to launch its IPO in the first half of 2025 before tariff-induced volatility rattled markets. Since then, Europe has seen a revival in listings activity as confidence returned. Apax and Warburg bought Odido, then operating as T-Mobile Netherlands , from Deutsche Telekom AG and venture partner Tele2 in 2021 for an enterprise value of €5.1 billion. Read More: Euronext Goes a Year Without Major IPO as Paris, Amsterdam Quiet No final decisions have been made, and the timing and terms of the deal remain subject to market conditions, the people said. Representatives for Odido, Apax and Warburg declined to comment. Odido, which is a sponsor of the Dutch Olympic team, is one of the Netherlands’ largest mobile networks with about eight million customers. It also operates under brands Tele2 Thuis, Simpel and Ben. For the latest news on equity capital markets activity in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, follow the channel or visit NI BFWECMEU . To subscribe to ECM Watch , Bloomberg’s daily roundup of news from around the region, click here .
‘This Really Puts a Nail in AMD FSR Redstone’s Coffin’: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 NVIDIA DLSS 4.5 Performance Mode Stuns With Image Quality Close To Native 4K Wccftech
‘This Really Puts a Nail in AMD FSR Redstone’s Coffin’: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 NVIDIA DLSS 4.5 Performance Mode Stuns With Image Quality Close To Native 4K Wccftech
There's no question that generative AI is one of the biggest investment opportunities of our time. Fortunately, even if you aren't comfortable with choosing individual stocks, there are plenty of excellent ETFs that can allow you to benefit as generative AI adoption increases. Of course, there are some that are specifically labeled as "AI ETFs", but it would be a mistake to stop your search there....
There's no question that generative AI is one of the biggest investment opportunities of our time. Fortunately, even if you aren't comfortable with choosing individual stocks, there are plenty of excellent ETFs that can allow you to benefit as generative AI adoption increases. Of course, there are some that are specifically labeled as "AI ETFs", but it would be a mistake to stop your search there. Read on to learn about three excellent ETFs for AI investors -- including some that are not obvious choices. Image source: Getty Images. Continue reading