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Although headline inflation has eased for four straight months, analysts warn that persistent food price pressures could slow the disinflation momentum.
As of August 1, 2025, the ten largest African companies on the LSE had a combined market cap of £29.6bn, dominated by four South African firms, followed by two Nigerian and one each from Egypt and Kenya, with the remaining headquartered in London but operating heavily in Africa.
The NGX lost 0.77% last week, but insurance and growth stocks soared, delivering gains above 30%. Smart money rotated into defensive and high-beta plays.
Despite having the lowest combined brand value among Africa’s top banking markets, Kenya’s three top lenders—Equity Bank, KCB, and Co-Operative Bank—posted the continent’s highest growth, rising 25.1% to $1.18 billion in 2025, according to the latest African Banking report.
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With continued pressure on the currency expected through year-end 2025, the outlook for dollar-denominated exports remains bleak.
On Tuesday, Kenya’s central bank cut its benchmark lending rate to 9.50%, the lowest since May 2023, to boost growth as inflation rises to 4.1% and business activity contracts further.
On August 5, 2025, President Bola Tinubu signed the Nigerian Insurance Industry Reform Bill into law, marking a significant overhaul of the sector in more than two decades.
NGX rallied as ASI rose 3.18% to 145,754.91 and market cap hit ₦92.2trn. Turnover swelled to 8.74bn shares as investors rotated into insurers (+41%) while banks cooled. Breadth improved to 66 gainers vs 41 losers—momentum into 11 Aug looks constructive.
