Economy
Nigerian Stocks to Further Succumb to External Shocks This Week
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
The Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) will further experience sell offs this week, as uncertainty in the global market weigh on the local market.
This is the view of some financial analysts, who said more foreign portfolio investors will exit the local bourse for better yields outside.
The Nigerian stock market, which was one of the best performers in 2017, having recorded a growth of over 40 percent, is presenting at -17.20 percent.
The local bourse has struggled in most parts of this year as a result of low investor confidence, especially with the political tensions in the land.
Another factor that has contributed to this is the raising of rates by the United States Federal Reserve System this year, which has made investors to exit emerging markets in droves. Another increase is expected to happen next month when they meet on December 18 and 19, 2018.
The decline in the prices of crude oil in the global market has also had an effect on the Nigerian market, which is fuelling speculations that the local authorities may likely devalue the Naira, with the external reserves facing south lately.
Last Friday, the Brent crude oil price went below $60 for the first time since October 2017 to $59 per barrel at the international market, which Nigeria’s foreign reserves depreciated to $41.5 billion on Thursday.
With fears of a possible devaluation, some investors are already selling off their Naira investments, stocks inclusive, to buy up some Dollars in order not to render their money worthless when the unexpected eventually happens.
Analysts at Business Post believe that with above fears in the psyche of investors, the Nigerian stock market will further be under selling pressure this week.
“We do not expect the market to return to the green territory at the close of this trading week. This is because some external factors will continue to weigh on the local bourse.
“We are of the view that the political tensions in the country, as the 2019 campaigns pick up gradually, will also continue to have a negative impact on the market,” Business Post analysts opined.
Last week, the All Share Index (ASI) went down by 1.2 percent week-on-week to settle at 31,678.70 points, while the market capitalisation reduced by N138.6 billion week-on-week to finish at N11.565 trillion.
According to analysts at Cowry Asset, “We expect the local bourse to close negatively (this week) as bearish activity is sustained.
“Speculators are expected to continue scrapping the market for short term gains amid attractive valuations and dividend yields.”
For those at Afrinvest, “We expect an undulating trend in market performance as the impact of bargain hunting in fundamentally sound stocks is expected to be countered by subsequent sell offs.
“However, we maintain our bearish outlook on the market over the near-term.”
“In the short to medium term, we expect the negative performance for the equities market to persist, amidst growing political concerns ahead 2019 elections, and absence of a positive market trigger.
“However, positive macroeconomic fundamentals remain supportive of recovery in the long term,” analysts at Cordros Research said.
Economy
Dangote Values Refinery at $39bn, Seeks $1bn in Private Placement
By Adedapo Adesanya
Dangote Petroleum Refinery is seeking to raise about $1 billion through a private placement that values the company at $39.1 billion.
According to reports, the refinery is offering 3 billion ordinary shares at $0.35 per share. Investors must subscribe for at least 1 million shares, equal to $350,000, with additional subscriptions accepted in multiples of 500,000 shares. The shares will be subject to a 365-day lock-up period from allotment.
It was reported that demand for the offer has already exceeded $2 billion, suggesting that the placement may be oversubscribed.
The operation is already attracting the interest of local investors. Recall that Nigerian billionaire, Mr Femi Otedola, has committed $100 million, while Afrobeats superstar, Mr David Adeleke, popularly known as Davido, also announced he would participate.
The proceeds will be used for expansion projects and general corporate purposes as the refinery deepens its role in Nigeria’s fuel supply market.
The facility has a nameplate capacity of 650,000 barrels per day and began fuel production in 2024. It produces diesel, aviation fuel, naphtha and premium motor spirit.
Standard Bank Group has also said it plans to play a leading role in the refinery’s future public listing, after the facility completed test runs at 700,000 barrels per day. It aims to reach 1.4 million barrels per day by 2028.
The fundraising is likely to renew expectations of a future public listing with a major stakeholder, Mr Aliko Dangote, saying the refinery could be listed, though no timeline was disclosed in the memorandum.
The current placement is seen as an early step that could expand ownership ahead of any future initial public offering (IPO).
Mr Dangote plans to sell between 5 and 10 per cent of the refinery on five major African exchanges: the Nigerian Exchange (NGX), the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE), the BRVM, the Nairobi Securities Exchange (NSE) and the Ghana Stock Exchange (GSE).
It has appointed Stanbic IBTC Capital, Vetiva Capital Management and FirstCap to lead the planned initial public offering of its refinery business on the Nigerian Exchange.
Economy
Investors Lose N3.1bn as NASD Exchange Remains Red
By Adedapo Adesanya
The NASD Over-the-Counter (OTC) Securities Exchange entered a third straight day of losses after it fell by 0.12 per cent on Wednesday, June 10.
The depletion trimmed the market capitalisation further by N3.1 billion to N2.590 trillion from N2.593 trillion, and cut the NASD Unlisted Security Index (NSI) by 5.19 points to 4330.12 points from 4,335.31 points.
11 Plc lost N22.21 during the session to finish at N221.00 per share versus the previous day’s N243.21 per share, MRS Oil Plc depreciated by N6.90 to N158.10 per unit from N165.00 per unit, and Central Securities Clearing System (CSCS) Plc decreased by N2.81 to N78.32 per share from N81.13 per share.
On the flip side, FrieslandCampina Wamco Nigeria Plc went up by N9.27 to N183.08 per unit from N173.81 per unit, Nitrox Industrial Gases Plc added N1.92 to its value to close at N23.80 per share compared with the preceding day’s N21.88 per share, and Food Concepts Plc gained 10 Kobo to exchange at N2.58 per unit, in contrast to Tuesday’s closing price of N2.48 per unit.
At the close of business, the volume of securities traded by investors contracted by 92.6 per cent to 117,374 units from 1.6 million units, and the value of securities moderated by 80.5 per cent to N12.2 million from N62.3 million, while the number of deals increased by 4.9 per cent to 43 deals from 41 deals.
Great Nigeria Insurance (GNI) Plc finished the day as the most traded stock by value on a year-to-date basis with 3.4 billion units worth N8.4 billion, followed by Infrastructure Credit Guarantee (Infracredit) Plc with 2.3 billion units traded for N6.5 billion, and CSCS Plc with 65.2 million units exchanged for N4.4 billion.
GNI Plc also closed the session as the most traded stock by volume on a year-to-date basis with 3.4 billion units valued at N8.4 billion, followed by Infracredit Plc with 2.3 billion units transacted for N6.5 billion, and Resourcery Plc with 1.1 billion units sold for N415.7 million
Economy
Naira Crashes to N1,362.05/$1 at Official Window After N1.50 Loss
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Naira fell against the United States Dollar by N1.50 or 0.11 per cent in the Nigerian Autonomous Foreign Exchange Market (NAFEX) to sell at N1,362.05/$1 on Wednesday, June 10, compared with the N1,360.55/$1 it traded on Tuesday.
Also, the local currency lost N4.33 against the Pound Sterling in the official window yesterday to trade at N1,827.33/£1 versus the preceding day’s N1,823.00/£1, and depreciated against the Euro by N1.74 to quote at N1,575.35/€1, in contrast to N1,573.61/€1 of the previous session.
However, at the GTBank forex desk, the Naira gained N3 against the US Dollar to sell at N1,370/$1 versus N1,373/$1, and at the parallel market, it remained unchanged at N1,380/$1.
Updated data from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) showed that foreign reserves surged further due to additional inflows from various sources. Nigeria’s gross external reserves increased to $50.439 billion, its highest level since March 2026, reflecting sustained inflows from oil revenue and other FX sources.
Also, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has said increased confidence in the Naira, supported by lower and more stable inflation, would encourage households, businesses and investors to hold more local currency assets and reduce reliance on foreign currencies.
The global lender, in a recent assessment, stressed the importance of strengthening the CBN’s operational framework and aligning liquidity management operations more closely with monetary policy objectives.
In the cryptocurrency market, there were recoveries from recent losses as US headline inflation rose an expected 0.5 per cent in May, but the beat on the core rate — which cuts out food and energy costs — pleased markets. The core rate, though, rose just 0.2 per cent in May against forecasts for 0.3 per cent.
The print reinforces the view that the US Federal Reserve will keep interest rates at 350-375 basis points at its June 17 meeting, but is likely to increase rates by 25 basis points by the end of the year.
Cardano (ADA) went up by 2.4 per cent to $0.1647, Bitcoin (BTC) rose by 2.3 per cent to $62,794.09, Binance Coin (BNB) jumped 1.8 per cent to $596.23, Ethereum (ETH) grew by 1.7 per cent to $1,658.12, and Solana (SOL) also soared by 1.7 per cent to $65.23.
Further, Dogecoin (DOGE) appreciated by 1.5 per cent to $0.0849, Ripple (XRP) expanded by 0.4 per cent to $1.11, and TRON (TRX) increased by 0.05 per cent to $0.3218, while the US Dollar Tether (USDT) lost 0.10 per cent to close at $0.9989, and the US Dollar Coin (USDC) declined by 0.01 per cent to $0.9997.
-
Feature/OPED6 years agoDavos was Different this year
-
Travel/Tourism10 years ago
Lagos Seals Western Lodge Hotel In Ikorodu
-
Showbiz3 years agoEstranged Lover Releases Videos of Empress Njamah Bathing
-
Banking8 years agoSort Codes of GTBank Branches in Nigeria
-
Economy3 years agoSubsidy Removal: CNG at N130 Per Litre Cheaper Than Petrol—IPMAN
-
Banking3 years agoSort Codes of UBA Branches in Nigeria
-
Banking3 years agoFirst Bank Announces Planned Downtime
-
Sports3 years agoHighest Paid Nigerian Footballer – How Much Do Nigerian Footballers Earn
