ATU Images | The Image Bank | Getty Images Sugar is getting a lot less sweet for buyers. Sugar prices surged 21.5% in August, marking its strongest monthly gain since October 2010, when it rose 24%. The United Nation’s Food and Agriculture Organization Food Price Index also rose in August amid broad-based increases, led by…
African stock markets are posting some of the strongest returns in the world this year, even as gold has fallen from its January peak and oil prices remain volatile. Data for selected African exchanges as of Sept. 2 show double-digit gains in many markets, led by Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Ghana and the BRVM regional exchange. Nigeria’s…
This picture shows signage of cross-border fast fashion e-commerce company SHEIN. Jade Gao | Afp | Getty Images Shares of Shein fell 8% in their trading debut in Hong Kong on Tuesday, after a tepid IPO that saw the fast-fashion giant’s valuation drop to nearly a quarter from its peak. The Singapore-headquartered, company sold about…
A teleprompter operator for President Donald Trump who made online prediction trades based on information from upcoming speeches has been ordered to pay $172,000, a federal agency said Friday night. Gabriel Perez used “material, nonpublic information” he obtained through his job to place “trades” on a prediction market, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission said in…
American investor Finn Walker is the managing partner of Heron Partners, which invests in companies listed on African stock exchanges. One of the key reasons Walker is bullish on Africa is the continent’s young and fast-growing population. Africa’s population is projected to reach around 2.5 billion by 2050, up from roughly 1.6 billion today –…
Paratus Uganda has become the first provider in the country to launch Starlink’s low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellite service, three months after the Uganda Communications Commission granted SpaceX an operational licence. The UCC signed a memorandum of understanding and operational licence agreement with Starlink on 15 May 2026. The launch gives enterprise customers in remote parts…
Across Africa, smartphone shipments fell 7%, while prices rose by $41 year-on-year to $202. South Africa’s smartphone market grew 17% year-on-year in the second quarter of 2026, bucking a broader downturn across Africa as rising device prices put pressure on consumers. According to research firm Omdia, smartphone shipments across Africa fell 7% year-on-year in the…
HONG KONG — The robotics firm behind China’s famously backflipping humanoids leapt to a remarkable stock market debut on Wednesday, with Unitree’s shares closing up 460% as investors rally behind homegrown beneficiaries of the A.I. boom. Chinese humanoid and other robots have advanced at a breathtaking pace as Beijing competes for global tech dominance with…
South African security provider CAP is expanding the role of CCTV beyond traditional surveillance, using artificial intelligence to turn existing camera networks into business intelligence tools. Its SmartGuard division, which provides CCTV solutions to more than 400 clients across residential estates, corporate campuses and commercial and industrial properties, currently monitors almost 5,000 cameras. The division…
European equities have historically struggled to ignite the kind of investor enthusiasm enjoyed by U.S. stocks and certain fast-growing Asian markets. The continent has fewer high-growth companies, shallower capital markets and is thought to have a less compelling long-term earnings growth story. A spike in governments’ fiscal spending at the beginning of 2025, however, brought…
