The Wednesday Briefs 179 - 2 August 2023
THIS WEEK: The Importance of the Sahel; July Performance; Treasury Yields; Sinéad O'Connor; Boat Names; S&P Sectors Update.
THE IMPORTANCE OF THE SAHEL
In the Wednesday Briefs 086, we highlighted the rising price of uranium. We argued at the time that the return of nuclear energy would be a boost to uranium. Since then (October 2021), uranium has risen about 20%, a fair but not very meaningful increase for a commodity. However events in the Sahel could now lead to more scarcity and push the price higher.
Control of uranium and of other key natural resources is one of the main themes in the fight for the Sahel today. The other is France's longstanding presence in Africa which has been squeezed for years by a rising Russian presence, usually via its Wagner Group. For historic context, consider this map from the colonial era. Note the old borders and labels in the western Sahara: French West Africa, French Equatorial Africa.
The Sahel, which means coast or shoreline in Ara…