Economy
NGX Index Zooms Past 70,000 points as Airtel, 36 Others Gain
By Dipo Olowookere
The Nigerian Exchange (NGX) Limited maintained its upward movement on Wednesday after it closed the first trading session of November 2023 higher by 1.94 per cent.
Sustained buying interest in Airtel Africa and 36 other equities drove the All-Share Index (ASI) above the 70,000-point psychological mark during the trading session.
Business Post reports that the benchmark index appreciated yesterday by 1,345.57 points to 70,581.76 points from the preceding day’s 69,236.19 points.
It was observed that the key focus on financial stocks in the midweek session raised the market capitalisation of the exchange higher by N739 billion to N38.778 trillion from N38.039 trillion.
The insurance sector gained 3.73 per cent on Wednesday as the banking counter grew by 2.21 per cent, offsetting the 0.14 per cent loss recorded by the consumer goods index, as the energy and the industrial goods sector remained unchanged.
The market breadth index was positive yesterday as there were only 16 price losers, indicating that investor sentiment remained bullish.
Airtel Africa chalked up 10.00 per cent to trade at N1,694.10, Chams rose by 9.91 per cent to N2.44, University Press increased by 9.91 per cent to N2.33, NEM Insurance gained 9.90 per cent to finish at N5.55, and FBN Holdings jumped by 9.78 per cent to N19.65.
Conversely, Caverton depreciated by 7.74 per cent to N1.43, Champion Breweries fell by 6.85 per cent to N3.40, C & I Leasing declined by 6.41 per cent to N3.36, UPDC REIT shrank by 2.70 per cent to N3.60, and Unilever Nigeria slipped by 2.44 per cent to N14.00.
It was a busy day on Wednesday as investors transacted 601.7 million shares valued at N11.0 billion in 7,444 deals versus the 483.3 million shares valued at N6.1 billion traded in 8,027 deals on Tuesday, implying a decline in the number of deals by 7.26 per cent, an increase in the trading volume by 24.50 per cent and a rise in the trading value by 80.33 per cent.
UBA closed the day as traders’ delight with a turnover of 163.6 million stocks valued at N3.5 billion, FBN Holdings transacted 94.7 million equities worth N1.8 billion, GTCO exchanged 45.8 million shares for N1.6 billion, Access Holdings sold 36.7 million stocks for N642.0 million, and Universal Insurance traded 34.7 million shares valued at N8.9 million.
Economy
BNB Price Reflects Changing Dynamics in the Digital Asset Market
Economy
NASD Unlisted Security Index Crosses 4,000-point Benchmark Again
By Adedapo Adesanya
The NASD Over-the-Counter (OTC) Securities Exchange achieved a milestone on Friday, April 24, 2026, after five securities on the platform helped with a 1.85 per cent growth.
Data showed that the NASD Unlisted Security Index (NSI) again crossed the 4,000-point benchmark yesterday.
The index chalked up 73.64 points during the trading day to close at 4,052.59 points compared with the preceding session’s 3,978.95 points, while the market capitalisation added N5.38 billion to finish at N2.424 trillion versus Thursday’s closing value of N2.380 trillion.
The price gainers were led by Okitipupa Plc, which grew by N25.00 to sell at N305.00 per share compared with the previous price of N280.00 per share. Central Securities Clearing System (CSCS) Plc gained N6.92 to close at N76.26 per unit versus N69.34 per unit, Afriland Properties Plc appreciated by N1.00 to N17.00 per share from N18.00 per share, FrieslandCampina Wamco Nigeria Plc improved by 55 Kobo to N99.55 per unit from N99.00 per unit, and Food Concepts Plc increased by 5 Kobo to N2.70 per share from N2.65 per share.
However, there was a price loser, MRS Oil, which dipped by N21.75 to N195.75 per unit from N217.50 per unit.
During the final session of the week, the value of securities jumped 75.2 per cent to N41.3 million from N23.6 million units, and the number of deals expanded by 62.9 per cent to 44 deals from 27 deals, while the volume of securities declined marginally by 0.9 per cent to 447,403 units from 451,522 units.
At the close of trades, Great Nigeria Insurance (GNI) Plc was the most traded stock by volume (year-to-date) with 3.4 billion units worth N8.4 billion, trailed by Resourcery Plc with 1.1 billion units valued at N415.7 million, and Infrastructure Guarantee Credit Plc with 400 million units traded for N1.2 billion.
GNI was also the most active stock by value (year-to-date) with 3.4 billion units sold for N8.4 billion, followed by CSCS Plc with 59.6 million units transacted for N4.0 billion, and Okitipupa Plc with 27.8 million units exchanged for N1.9 billion.
Economy
Naira Slips to N1,358/$1 as FX Reserves, Policy Uncertainty Concerns
By Adedapo Adesanya
It was not a good day for the Nigerian Naira in the currency market on Friday, April 24, as its value depreciated against the major foreign currencies at the close of transactions.
In the Nigerian Autonomous Foreign Exchange Market (NAFEX), it lost N4.53 or 0.33 per cent against the United States Dollar yesterday to trade at N1,358.44/$1, in contrast to the N1,353.91/$1 it was exchanged on Thursday.
Equally, the domestic currency slipped against the Pound Sterling in the official market during the session by N8.14 to close at N1,834.02/£1, compared with the previous rate of N1,825.88/£1 and dropped N8.01 against the Euro to sell at N1,590.73/€1 versus N1,582.72/€1.
Also, the Naira depreciated against the US Dollar at the GTBank FX desk on Friday by N4 to quote at N1,370/$1 compared with the previous session’s N1,366/$1, and at the parallel market, it depleted by N5 to settle at N1,380/$1 versus the preceding day’s N1,375/$1.
Data published by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) indicated that NFEM interbank turnover surged to N43.562 million across 68 deals, up from N28.117 million the previous day.
Despite the CBN’s reassurance that the recent drop in external reserves is not worrisome, the market remains unsettled by persistent concerns over liquidity constraints, policy transparency, and weakening confidence in Nigeria’s FX market as gross reserves continue to decline to $48.4 billion.
The outlook for the Dollar appears supported by broader macro risks, including elevated oil prices tied to the tanker traffic disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz and a continued US-Iran standoff over ceasefire negotiations.
A look at the digital currency market showed that investors are sitting on the edge as the US Dollar rebounded amid geopolitical and inflation risks despite continued inflows into US spot bitcoin Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs).
Solana (SOL) rose by 1.2 per cent to sell $86.45, Cardano (ADA) appreciated by 1.1 per cent to $0.2517, Dogecoin (DOGE) grew by 0.9 per cent to $0.0989, Ripple (XRP) improved by 0.3 per cent to $1.43, Ethereum (ETH) soared by 0.2 per cent to $2,316.83, and Binance Coin (BNB) chalked up 0.1 per cent to sell for $637.44.
However, TRON (TRX) depreciated by 1.3 per cent to $0.3235, and Bitcoin (BTC) lost 0.2 per cent to close at $77,562.27, while the US Dollar Tether (USDT) and the US Dollar Coin (USDC) closed flat at $1.00 each.
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