Sudan Sees Hike in Diesel, Petrol Prices

People gather to get fuel at a petrol station in Khartoum, Sudan November 4, 2016. REUTERS/Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah
People gather to get fuel at a petrol station in Khartoum, Sudan November 4, 2016. REUTERS/Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah
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Sudan Sees Hike in Diesel, Petrol Prices

People gather to get fuel at a petrol station in Khartoum, Sudan November 4, 2016. REUTERS/Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah
People gather to get fuel at a petrol station in Khartoum, Sudan November 4, 2016. REUTERS/Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah

Petrol and diesel prices in Sudan rose sharply on Friday following fuel subsidy reforms, which are part of a series of economic measures that have helped set the country on course for substantial debt relief.

Petrol prices rose by about 23% and diesel prices increased by more than 8% at fueling stations, a Reuters witness said.

The price of petrol at several stations in the capital Khartoum had risen to 150 Sudanese pounds ($0.4) from 122 pounds per litre, while the price of diesel had risen to 125 pounds from 115 pounds.

Sudan’s transitional government has gradually phased out most fuel subsidies amid widespread shortages.

In Khartoum, there are long queues for diesel, though the number of people waiting to buy petrol has eased in recent days. In many areas outside Khartoum shortages are still severe.

Sudan has been in economic crisis since before the overthrow of autocrat Omar al-Bashir in 2019, leading to a lack of supplies of basic goods including fuel, bread and medicines.

In February, the central bank sharply devalued the currency, in a move that unlocked foreign aid and opened the way for billions of dollars in debt relief.



Dollar Hobbled by Economic Worries; Euro Remains in Favor

US dollar drifted within a tight range on Monday, pressured by lower Treasury yields - Reuters
US dollar drifted within a tight range on Monday, pressured by lower Treasury yields - Reuters
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Dollar Hobbled by Economic Worries; Euro Remains in Favor

US dollar drifted within a tight range on Monday, pressured by lower Treasury yields - Reuters
US dollar drifted within a tight range on Monday, pressured by lower Treasury yields - Reuters

The dollar hovered near a five-month low against major peers on Monday, bruised by President Donald Trump's erratic trade policies and soft economic data, at a time when other currencies, including the euro, benefit from domestic drivers.

The euro was last at $1.0905, up 0.2% on the day, and heading back towards the $1.0947 it hit last week, its highest since October 11.

The Japanese yen was also marginally stronger on the day at 148.48 per dollar, again after hitting its strongest in five months last week at 146.5 to the dollar.

That left the dollar index, which measures the US currency against its six major counterparts, at 103.5, just off its five-month trough of 103.21 reached last Tuesday, Reuters reported.

Currency markets have undergone a shift in recent months, as traders re-evaluate their initial expectations that Trump's economic policies would both support the dollar and cause other currencies to weaken.

In fact the reverse has happened, and analysts at Societe Generale said on Monday that they had changed their currency forecasts "to reflect Germany's planned fiscal changes, the US economy's self-inflicted (relative) fragility, and Japan’s escape from deflation".

They see the euro at $1.13 by year-end and the yen at 139 per dollar.