Kenya’s central bank left its benchmark interest rate unchanged for the second time in a row, as it monitors the impact of the ongoing conflict in Iran on the economy. The monetary policy retained the key rate at 8.75%, Governor Kamau Thugge said in an emailed statement Tuesday. That matched the forecast of all six economists in a Bloomberg survey . “The conflict in the Middle East has disrupted g...
Kenya’s central bank left its benchmark interest rate unchanged for the second time in a row, as it monitors the impact of the ongoing conflict in Iran on the economy. The monetary policy retained the key rate at 8.75%, Governor Kamau Thugge said in an emailed statement Tuesday. That matched the forecast of all six economists in a Bloomberg survey . “The conflict in the Middle East has disrupted global supply chains and led to a sharp increase in energy prices and transportation costs, resulting in higher inflation and moderated global growth prospects.,” Thugge said. The US-Israeli war on Iran has forced emerging-market central banks including Indonesia, Turkey and South Africa to either pause or reverse their monetary easing cycles as surging oil prices and renewed currency pressure spawn higher inflation. Prior to holding rates at its last MPC meeting in April, the Kenyan central bank had lowered borrowing costs on 10 consecutive occasions by a cumulative 425 basis points. The annual inflation rate in the East African nation jumped to 6.7% in May from 5.6% in April, because of higher fuel costs. Core inflation was 3.2% in May, compared with 2.8% in April, reflecting second round effects from higher gasoline prices. Price growth is now at the upper end of the 2.5% to 7.5% range that the central bank targets. Diesel costs in Kenya have jumped 40% and gasoline prices 20% since the start of war, sparking protests in which at least 12 people have died. The inflation rate is now likely to breach the central bank’s target band, to a three-year high. Still, the Kenyan shilling has remained stable and stuck in a narrow range against the dollar, while the nation holds sufficient foreign-exchange reserves to cover almost six months of imports. The Next Africa newsletter runs every weekday. Sign up here for the newsletter, and subscribe to the Next Africa podcast on Apple , Spotify or anywhere you listen .
Existing-home sales in the US accelerated to their fastest pace of the year in May, with contract closings rising to an annualized rate of 4.17 million. Mike McKee reports on "Bloomberg Open Interest." (Source: Bloomberg)
Existing-home sales in the US accelerated to their fastest pace of the year in May, with contract closings rising to an annualized rate of 4.17 million. Mike McKee reports on "Bloomberg Open Interest." (Source: Bloomberg)
Wigmore Hall, London The quartet communicated intimately and naturally in a programme of music by Shostakovich, Ravel and Stravinsky A hushed chord sustained by the second violin, viola and cello. Fragments of a melody played as a distant memory by the first violin, which reached slowly upwards to a final crystalline harmonic. Pizzicato, diminuendo, silence. In this captivating performance by the ...
Wigmore Hall, London The quartet communicated intimately and naturally in a programme of music by Shostakovich, Ravel and Stravinsky A hushed chord sustained by the second violin, viola and cello. Fragments of a melody played as a distant memory by the first violin, which reached slowly upwards to a final crystalline harmonic. Pizzicato, diminuendo, silence. In this captivating performance by the Danish String Quartet , stillness settled over the closing portion of Shostakovich ’s String Quartet No 3 in F Op 73 like heavy snow. Bow changes became impossibly seamless. The quartet’s silken tone appeared to exude eerily, disconnected from the basic friction of hair on string. Such quiet control was all the more striking in the wake of jagged, impassioned solo interjections, deeply incised octave unisons and phrases pursued as if the musicians’ survival depended on it. There was articulation so spiky it was percussive – all contact, no resonance – and passages that sounded symphonic in their velveteen richness. Yet there were also moments of polite levity and luminous classicism. The atmospheric gearshifts were sometimes imperceptibly gradual, sometimes violent, but rarely visible: beyond describing itself as “relatively bearded” , the Danish String Quartet is not an ensemble given to choreographed spectacle. Continue reading...
(RTTNews) - A report released by the National Association of Realtors on Tuesday showed existing home sales in the U.S. spiked by much more than anticipated in the month of May.
(RTTNews) - A report released by the National Association of Realtors on Tuesday showed existing home sales in the U.S. spiked by much more than anticipated in the month of May.
Mesut Dogan Oracle ( ORCL ) is expected to report a healthy fourth-quarter print on June 9, before markets open, with earnings seen climbing 15.3% Y/Y. The consensus EPS Estimate is $1.96 , while revenue is likely to jump around 20.1% Y/Y to $19.09B. The tech giant is expected to show strength in its cloud computing unit and a greater focus on return on invested capital, according to analysts at C...
Mesut Dogan Oracle ( ORCL ) is expected to report a healthy fourth-quarter print on June 9, before markets open, with earnings seen climbing 15.3% Y/Y. The consensus EPS Estimate is $1.96 , while revenue is likely to jump around 20.1% Y/Y to $19.09B. The tech giant is expected to show strength in its cloud computing unit and a greater focus on return on invested capital, according to analysts at Citi . The brokerage sees in-line but accelerating IaaS growth this quarter. “While investor concerns linger on financing/execution of capacity buildouts, we believe ORCL remains on track to deliver one of the strongest revenue/EPS accelerations in tech as large AI contracts ramp,” Citi analyst Tyler Radke wrote in a note to clients. Meanwhile, BNP Paribas expects the company to increase its capital spending forecast. Stefan Slowinski, who has a $283 price target on Oracle, said that capex guidance for fiscal 2027 could be anywhere between $80B and $100B as the company accelerates the development of some Stargate campuses and spends additional money on Nvidia ( NVDA ) GPUs. The AI infrastructure business will likely remain front and center, Seeking Alpha analyst Justin Purohit noted. He believes investors’ key focus to be around capacity expansion, backlog conversion, and whether demand still continues to outpace supply. The analyst will also be watching out for the management’s commentary on its remaining performance obligations. “ORCL’s remaining performance obligations ballooned to over $500B previously, so from my lens, I’ll want clarity around how quickly that backlog can realistically convert into revenue,” Purohit noted. Over the last 3 months, EPS estimates have seen 20 upward revisions and 12 downward. Revenue estimates have seen 12 upward revisions and 15 downward, reflecting a neutral stance among analysts. Over the last 2 years, ORCL has beaten EPS estimates 50% of the time and has beaten revenue estimates 38% of the time. More on Oracle Oracle: Earnings Could Re...
Mesut Dogan Oracle ( ORCL ) is expected to report a healthy fourth-quarter print on June 9, before markets open, with earnings seen climbing 15.3% Y/Y. The consensus EPS Estimate is $1.96 , while revenue is likely to jump around 20.1% Y/Y to $19.09B. The tech giant is expected to show strength in its cloud computing unit and a greater focus on return on invested capital, according to analysts at C...
Mesut Dogan Oracle ( ORCL ) is expected to report a healthy fourth-quarter print on June 9, before markets open, with earnings seen climbing 15.3% Y/Y. The consensus EPS Estimate is $1.96 , while revenue is likely to jump around 20.1% Y/Y to $19.09B. The tech giant is expected to show strength in its cloud computing unit and a greater focus on return on invested capital, according to analysts at Citi . The brokerage sees in-line but accelerating IaaS growth this quarter. “While investor concerns linger on financing/execution of capacity buildouts, we believe ORCL remains on track to deliver one of the strongest revenue/EPS accelerations in tech as large AI contracts ramp,” Citi analyst Tyler Radke wrote in a note to clients. Meanwhile, BNP Paribas expects the company to increase its capital spending forecast. Stefan Slowinski, who has a $283 price target on Oracle, said that capex guidance for fiscal 2027 could be anywhere between $80B and $100B as the company accelerates the development of some Stargate campuses and spends additional money on Nvidia ( NVDA ) GPUs. The AI infrastructure business will likely remain front and center, Seeking Alpha analyst Justin Purohit noted. He believes investors’ key focus to be around capacity expansion, backlog conversion, and whether demand still continues to outpace supply. The analyst will also be watching out for the management’s commentary on its remaining performance obligations. “ORCL’s remaining performance obligations ballooned to over $500B previously, so from my lens, I’ll want clarity around how quickly that backlog can realistically convert into revenue,” Purohit noted. Over the last 3 months, EPS estimates have seen 20 upward revisions and 12 downward. Revenue estimates have seen 12 upward revisions and 15 downward, reflecting a neutral stance among analysts. Over the last 2 years, ORCL has beaten EPS estimates 50% of the time and has beaten revenue estimates 38% of the time. More on Oracle Oracle: Earnings Could Re...