MASI Index
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USD / MWK
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Live rate
Maize (MWK/kg)
MK 900
Post-harvest low
Brent Crude
$93.70
+53.8% YTD
BTC / USD
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Market Pulse · Loading…
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Today's Key Moves
MASI Index—
Brent Crude$93.70 · +53.8% YTD
Gold$4,656/oz · +7.0% YTD
USD / MWK—
Maize (Kasungu)MK 820 · post-harvest low
Malawi Economic Snapshot
Inflation23.4%
RBM Policy Rate24.0%
Forex Reserves2.3 months
Public Debt86.9%
US Fed Rate3.5–3.75%
MASI YTD—
What to Watch
🌽 Maize storage window — MK 820–975 now. Nov–Dec historically MK 1,200+.
🫘 Soya buying season — Floor price holding. Oil processors competing.
💵 USD/MWK pressure — Forex reserves below 2-month threshold.
📈 MSE breadth — Loading…
About this data. MSE prices, MASI, and currencies update live on page load. Commodity prices updated via market scraper and WFP data feeds. Malawi economic indicators updated when released by RBM/NSO. Last commodity data: 21 Aug 2026.
Currency Intelligence
The Kwacha has lost significant value against major currencies over the past 12 months. High forex reserves depletion means import costs remain elevated — affecting fuel, medicines, and manufactured goods. Watch the USD/MWK rate as a primary inflation signal.
Live Exchange Rates · Updates on page load
USD / MWK
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US Dollar to Kwacha. Primary driver of fuel prices, medicine costs, and import inflation.
ZAR / MWK
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Rand to Kwacha. Most imported goods transit through South Africa — this rate is your true import cost.
GBP / MWK
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Pound to Kwacha. Key for UK diaspora remittances and bilateral aid flows.
BTC / USD
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Bitcoin. Tracked as a USD hedge by Malawian investors managing Kwacha devaluation risk.
Purchasing Power — What MK 100,000 Buys You Today
At current market prices
111 kg
Maize
(at MK 900/kg)
59 kg
Soya Beans
(at MK 1,700/kg)
29 kg
Groundnuts
(shelled, MK 3,500/kg)
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US Dollars
(live rate)
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Bitcoin (USD value)
(live rate)
Commodity Intelligence
Malawi's export earnings are dominated by tobacco, groundnuts, soya, and pigeon peas. Domestically, maize is the food security benchmark — its price sets the baseline for household budget pressure across all income groups. This page tracks both.
Malawi Agricultural Commodities · AHCX / WFP VAM · 2026-07-31
Commodity Signal Price (MWK/kg) Change Cheapest Market Most Expensive Spread Context
🌽 Maize Chimanga BUY 900 ▼ 10.0% Kasungu 820 Blantyre 975 MK 155 (18.9%) Post-harvest seasonal low. Prices typically rise 30–50% by Nov–Dec.
🫘 Soya Beans Nyemba za Soya HOLD 1,700 ▲ 6.3% Kasungu 1,650 Blantyre 1,820 MK 170 (10.3%) Trading at floor price. Commercial demand from oil processors keeping price supported.
🥜 Groundnuts Mtedza (shelled) WATCH 3,500 ▲ 12.1% Lilongwe 3,400 Zomba 3,700 MK 300 (8.8%) Export demand from South Africa and Europe pushing prices up. Aflatoxin risk if poorly stored.
🟡 Pigeon Peas Nandolo HOLD 1,100 ● 0.0% Lilongwe 1,080 Blantyre 1,150 MK 70 (6.5%) Stable. India demand drives export price. Watch for monsoon crop reports from India.
🫘 Sugar Beans Nyemba WATCH 2,000 ▲ 5.3% Lilongwe 1,950 Blantyre 2,100 MK 150 (7.7%) Urban demand strong. Price rising ahead of lean season.
🍚 Rice Mpunga (local) HOLD 1,500 ● 1.3% Karonga 1,400 Blantyre 1,600 MK 200 (14.3%) Domestic supply stable. Import competition from Tanzania keeping prices in check.
🌻 Sunflower Seeds Sunflower WATCH 700 ▲ 8.0% Kasungu 680 Blantyre 740 MK 60 (8.8%) Oil processors competing for supply. Cooking oil demand elevated on maize-driven calorie gap.
🍠 Cassava Chinangwa HOLD 350 ▼ 4.1% Nkhotakota 280 Blantyre 400 MK 120 (42.9%) Abundant post-harvest. Food security buffer crop. Limited commercial trading volume.
🏵️ Seed Cotton Thonje HOLD 1,200 ▲ 9.1% Chikwawa 1,150 Thyolo 1,220 MK 70 (6.1%) Ginning companies buying at contracted prices. Strong global cotton demand.
Prices are MWK per kilogram. Spread = highest market price minus lowest — represents inter-market arbitrage potential before transport costs.
Global Commodities · Updated 21 Aug 2026
BRENT CRUDE
$93.70
+53.8% YTD
Drives fuel import costs and inflation in Malawi directly. Every $1/barrel rise adds ~MK 8/litre to pump prices.
GOLD
$4,656/oz
+7.0% YTD
Safe-haven signal. Rising gold = global investor anxiety. World Bank projects +42% average for 2026.
COPPER
$14,515/t
+16.5% YTD
Industrial demand barometer. Critical export for Zambia — tracks regional manufacturing health.
TOBACCO AVG
$2.13/kg
▼ vs $2.30
Malawi's #1 export — 50% of forex earnings. High rejection rates (96–100%) in early 2026 season. Structural decline.
African Markets
MASI — Malawi All Share Index
506,246
▼ -0.11%
Benchmark for all 16 MSE-listed companies. Live intraday data in MSE Stocks tab.
JSE TOP 40
103,759
-3.9% YTD
JSE Top 40. Africa's most liquid market. Sets regional investor risk appetite.
Malawi Stock Exchange · LIVE
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Trading Desk · Arbitrage & Price Intelligence
Every market has gaps. Prices for the same commodity differ by 8–25% across Malawi's districts. Arbitrage means buying where it's cheap and selling where it's expensive — the spread is your margin. Use this desk to find those gaps and size your trades.
Inter-Market Arbitrage Scanner · Current Price Spreads
Commodity Buy (Cheapest) Price Sell (Dearest) Price Spread / kg Spread % Opportunity
🌽 Maize Kasungu MK 820 Blantyre MK 975 MK 155 18.9% STRONG
🫘 Soya Beans Kasungu MK 1,650 Blantyre MK 1,820 MK 170 10.3% MODERATE
🥜 Groundnuts Lilongwe MK 3,400 Zomba MK 3,700 MK 300 8.8% MODERATE
🟡 Pigeon Peas Lilongwe MK 1,080 Blantyre MK 1,150 MK 70 6.5% THIN
🫘 Sugar Beans Lilongwe MK 1,950 Blantyre MK 2,100 MK 150 7.7% THIN
🍚 Rice Karonga MK 1,400 Blantyre MK 1,600 MK 200 14.3% MODERATE
🌻 Sunflower Seeds Kasungu MK 680 Blantyre MK 740 MK 60 8.8% MODERATE
🍠 Cassava Nkhotakota MK 280 Blantyre MK 400 MK 120 42.9% STRONG
🏵️ Seed Cotton Chikwawa MK 1,150 Thyolo MK 1,220 MK 70 6.1% THIN
Spreads are gross. Deduct transport (≈MK 30–80/kg depending on distance and volume) to get net margin. Trades below 8% spread are typically not viable after transport.
Seasonal Price Signals
🌽 Maize
BUY
Post-harvest seasonal low. Prices typically rise 30–50% by Nov–Dec.
🫘 Soya Beans
HOLD
Trading at floor price. Commercial demand from oil processors keeping price supported.
🥜 Groundnuts
WATCH
Export demand from South Africa and Europe pushing prices up. Aflatoxin risk if poorly stored.
🟡 Pigeon Peas
HOLD
Stable. India demand drives export price. Watch for monsoon crop reports from India.
🫘 Sugar Beans
WATCH
Urban demand strong. Price rising ahead of lean season.
🍚 Rice
HOLD
Domestic supply stable. Import competition from Tanzania keeping prices in check.
🌻 Sunflower Seeds
WATCH
Oil processors competing for supply. Cooking oil demand elevated on maize-driven calorie gap.
🍠 Cassava
HOLD
Abundant post-harvest. Food security buffer crop. Limited commercial trading volume.
🏵️ Seed Cotton
HOLD
Ginning companies buying at contracted prices. Strong global cotton demand.
Purchasing Power Calculator
Enter an amount in Malawian Kwacha
MWK
556 kg
Maize (MK 900/kg)
294 kg
Soya Beans (MK 1,700/kg)
143 kg
Groundnuts (MK 3,500/kg)
455 kg
Pigeon Peas (MK 1,100/kg)
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US Dollars (live rate)
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Bitcoin satoshis
Trade Size Estimator — Maize Example (Kasungu → Blantyre)
Buy Price
MK 820
Kasungu. Post-harvest surplus keeps price low. Peak buying window: May–Aug.
Sell Price
MK 975
Blantyre market. Urban demand + transport premium. Consistent offtake.
Gross Spread
MK 155/kg
Per kilogram before transport. A 5-tonne truck = MK 775,000 gross.
Est. Net (5T truck)
MK 525,000
After ~MK 250,000 transport (Kasungu–Blantyre ≈500km). ~32% gross margin.
Data Sources & Methodology
🔴 Live (30-min cache)
MSE Stocks & MASI Index AFX · afx.kwayisi.org
Bitcoin (BTC/USD) CoinGecko API
🟡 Daily refresh (admin)
Brent Crude (BZ=F) Yahoo Finance
Gold (GC=F) Yahoo Finance
Copper (HG=F) Yahoo Finance
USD/MWK · ZAR/MWK · GBP/MWK ExchangeRate-API v6
🌾 Malawi agricultural prices
Maize, Soya, Groundnuts, Pulses WFP VAM
Market surveys (AHCX) AHCX Malawi
Refreshed automatically when admin runs market update. Last data: 2026-07-31
📋 Official indicators (as published)
RBM Policy Rate & Forex Reserves rbm.mw
Inflation (CPI) NSO Malawi
Tobacco average price TIMB Malawi
JSE Top 40 Yahoo Finance
All data is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice. Prices may lag real-time by minutes to days depending on source cadence. Always verify with primary sources before making trading, lending, or investment decisions.