Morocco Expects Quarterly Growth of 3.3%

Morocco Expects Quarterly Growth of 3.3%
TT

Morocco Expects Quarterly Growth of 3.3%

Morocco Expects Quarterly Growth of 3.3%

Morocco’s High Commission for Planning (HCP) expects economic growth to amount to 3.3 percent in Q1 2020, exceeding the 2.5 percent growth during the same period in 2019.

It attributed this growth to anticipated growth in the agricultural activities sector by 6.8 percent and the non-agricultural activities by about 2.8 percent, during this years’ first quarter.

It also expected a less restrictive international context for the national economy in the first quarter of 2020.

“With the fears of a global recession and the easing of trade tensions between China and the United States, world trade will pick up some momentum.”

“Under these conditions, the global demand addressed to Morocco would benefit from a slight revival of dynamism in imports from the eurozone and would show an increase of 1.3 percent, in annual variation,” according to the economic outlook.

It also pointed to an expected development in the national economy during the first quarter of 2020 “in light of an international circumstance characterized by a slight improvement compared to the previous quarter.”

It comes in line with the decrease in fears of a global economic crisis and the decrease in trade tension between China and the United States.

The HCP noted that global trade exchanges will witness a slight recovery, while the global economy will continue to grow at a below-average rate.

It said the global economy will remain subject to inflationary pressures associated with the hike in oil prices in international markets, as the inflation rate will be close to two percent at the global level.

Meanwhile, the global demand for Moroccan exports is expected to increase by 3.1 percent in 2020, the HCP said.

The report revealed that consumption loans increased by 4.7 percent in the last quarter of 2019, proving that the expenditure of Moroccan households is on the rise, along with purchase power.

Consumption expenditure for Moroccan households reached 2.5 percent, compared to two percent in the previous quarter, while public expenses increased by 3.7 percent.



Gold Jumps, on Track for Best Week in Over a Year on Safe-haven Demand

FILE PHOTO: Gold bullions are displayed at GoldSilver Central's office in Singapore June 19, 2017. REUTERS/Edgar Su/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Gold bullions are displayed at GoldSilver Central's office in Singapore June 19, 2017. REUTERS/Edgar Su/File Photo
TT

Gold Jumps, on Track for Best Week in Over a Year on Safe-haven Demand

FILE PHOTO: Gold bullions are displayed at GoldSilver Central's office in Singapore June 19, 2017. REUTERS/Edgar Su/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Gold bullions are displayed at GoldSilver Central's office in Singapore June 19, 2017. REUTERS/Edgar Su/File Photo

Gold prices rose over 1% to hit a two-week peak on Friday, heading for the best weekly performance in more than a year, buoyed by safe-haven demand as Russia-Ukraine tensions intensified.

Spot gold jumped 1.3% to $2,703.05 per ounce as of 1245 GMT, hitting its highest since Nov. 8. US gold futures gained 1.1% to $2,705.30.

Bullion rose despite the US dollar hitting a 13-month high, while bitcoin hit a record peak and neared the $100,000 level.

"With both gold and USD (US dollar) rising, it seems that safe-haven demand is lifting both assets," said UBS analyst Giovanni Staunovo.

Ukraine's military said its drones struck four oil refineries, radar stations and other military installations in Russia, Reuters reported.

Gold has gained over 5% so far this week, its best weekly performance since October 2023. Prices have gained around $173 after slipping to a two-month low last week.

"We understand that the price setback has been used by 'Western world' investors under-allocated to gold to build exposure considering the geopolitical risks that are still around. So we continue to expect gold to rise further over the coming months," Staunovo said.

Bullion tends to shine during geopolitical tensions, economic risks, and a low interest rate environment. Markets are pricing in a 59.4% chance of a 25-basis-points cut at the Fed's December meeting, per the CME Fedwatch tool.

However, "if Fed skips or pauses its rate cut in December, that will be negative for gold prices and we could see some pullback," said Soni Kumari, a commodity strategist at ANZ.

The Chicago Federal Reserve president reiterated his support for further US interest rate cuts on Thursday.

On Friday, spot silver rose 1.8% to $31.34 per ounce, platinum eased 0.1% to $960.13 and palladium fell 0.6% to $1,023.55. All three metals were on track for a weekly rise.