Business

– World food commodity prices eased in October as cheaper cereals, dairy and meat outweighed a fourth straight monthly rise in sugar, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations said on Friday. Its Food Price Index averaged 133.9

– Egypt’s foreign reserves climbed by $151.6 million in October to a new record of $57.5 billion, the Central Bank of Egypt (CBE) said. Net international reserves reached $57.4998 billion at the end of the month, up from $57.3482 billion

– Botswana’s diamond production has risen 14% this year, helping the economy recover from a two-year slump, as the government raised its 2026 growth forecast to 3.8%. The Ministry of Finance had initially forecast growth of 3.1%. Output reached 15.1

– Spot gold hit a two-week high on Thursday, extending a sharp rally as the US dollar and Treasury yields eased after Democrats made major gains in the US midterm elections. Gold rose 1.9% to $4,134.83 an ounce in Asian

– Strong non-oil and gas exports helped Indonesia post a trade surplus of $10.61 billion in the first nine months of 2026, Statistics Indonesia (BPS) announced on Monday. The non-oil and gas sector produced a $34.21 billion surplus between January

– South Africa’s FirstRand, the second-largest lender in Africa, has joined a growing list of continental banks seeking to buy into Kenya’s banking industry. Half of Africa’s top 20 banks are building a multi-billion-shilling war chest for the market. They