Economy
Crude Oil Prices Drop on Weak German, Chinese Data
By Adedapo Adesanya
Crude oil prices eased on Tuesday following the release of negative economic news from Germany and China ahead of the US Federal Reserve decision on interest rates.
Brent futures fell by 72 cents or 1.0 per cent to settle at $73.19 a barrel while the US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude slipped by 63 cents or 0.9 per cent to $70.08 per barrel.
In China, the world’s second-biggest economy, industrial output growth quickened slightly in November, while retail sales disappointed.
This has spurred calls for the Chinese government to ramp up consumer-focused stimulus as policymakers brace for more US trade tariffs once President-elect Donald Trump takes office for a second time in January.
China is the world’s largest oil importer and market analysts note that the economic situation may dampen oil demand.
Also in Germany, Europe’s largest economy, business morale worsened more than expected in December, a survey showed on Tuesday.
The Ifo Institute said its business climate index decreased to 84.7 in December from a slightly downwardly revised 85.6 the previous month.
This development was weighed down by companies’ pessimistic assessment of the coming months amid geopolitical uncertainty and an industrial slump.
Meanwhile, a separate survey released by the ZEW Institute showed investors were much more optimistic, largely pinning their hopes on a change in government following the upcoming February 23 election.
Market analysts noted that 2024 will mark the second straight year that Germany will stagnate economically.
In the world’s biggest economy, US retail sales increased more than expected in November amid an acceleration in motor vehicle and online purchases.
The report from the US Commerce Department did not impact expectations that the US Federal Reserve would cut interest rates on Wednesday for the third time since the central bank initiated its policy easing cycle.
After hiking rates aggressively in 2022 and 2023 to tame a surge in inflation, the US Federal Reserve started to lower rates in September.
Lower rates decrease borrowing costs, which can boost economic growth and oil demand.
The US central bank meeting will conclude on Wednesday and the market will confirm if it goes with the 25 basis points cut expectation.
Crude oil inventories in the US fell by 4.7 million barrels for the week ending December 6, according to the American Petroleum Institute (API). For the week prior, the API reported a 499,000-barrel build in crude inventories.
So far this year, crude oil inventories have fallen by roughly 8 million barrels since the beginning of the year, according to API data.
Official data from the Energy Information Administration (EIA) will be released later on Wednesday.
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
Nigeria slightly surpassed its quota set by the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) in July 2026.
In the month under review, the country produced about 1.57 million barrels of crude oil per day.
It was the third consecutive month Africa’s largest oil-producing nation was meeting its monthly quota, set to stabilise the price of the commodity on the global market by the oil cartel.
Data released by the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) on Wednesday showed that the 1.5 million barrels per day ceiling for Nigeria was surpassed last month.
The agency disclosed in a statement today that the country produced 1.505mbpd of crude oil and 0.17mbpd of condensate, bringing the combined daily production to 1.67mbpd.
In the month under review, the daily peak production of crude oil and condensate was 1.78mbpd, while the lowest daily production was 1.57mbpd.
Although Nigeria met its OPEC quota in the month of July, the statistics show that on a month-on-month basis, production fell by 4 per cent.
This was attributed to the decline in production due to operational challenges experienced at the Erha and Akpo fields, which impacted crude oil output during the period under review.
These disruptions constrained production volumes and contributed significantly to the overall reduction in national crude oil output.
Despite the challenges, production operations across most other producing assets remained relatively stable, with operators implementing measures aimed at maintaining production efficiency and minimising the impact of operational constraints, NUPRC stated.
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
The over 9 billion shares of Lasaco Assurance Plc issued to shareholders of the company via a rights issue have been listed on the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) Limited.
The equities were brought to Customs Street on Wednesday by the organisation, increasing its total issued and fully paid-up share capital.
Lasaco Assurance, which scaled the recapitalisation hurdle of the National Insurance Commission (NAICOM) in July 2026, raised fresh capital from the capital market to shore up its capital base.
The underwriting firm got about N18.5 billion from the rights issue, which involved the issuance of 9,236,321,546 ordinary shares at a unit price of N2.00.
The exercise was on the basis of five new ordinary shares for every existing six ordinary shares held as of the close of business on Friday, February 20, 2026.
Confirming the listing of the additional stocks of Lasaco Assurance today, the Head of Issuer Regulation Department of NGX RegCo, Mr Godstime Iwenekhai, announced in a circular that, “Trading licence holders are hereby notified that an additional 9,236,321,546 ordinary shares of 50 Kobo each of Lasaco Assurance Plc were today, Wednesday, August 12, 2026, listed on the daily official list of Nigerian Exchange Limited.
“The additional shares arose from the company’s rights issue of 9,236,321,546 ordinary shares of 50 Kobo each at N2.00 per share on the basis of five new ordinary shares for every existing six ordinary shares held as of the close of business on Friday, February 20, 2026.
“With the listing of the additional 9,236,321,546 ordinary shares, the total issued and fully paid-up share capital of Lasaco Assurance Plc has now increased from 11,083,585,855 to 20,319,907,401 ordinary shares of 50 Kobo each.”
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Nigerian Insurers Association (NIA) has said the successful recapitalisation of the insurance industry will strengthen the sector’s ability to support financial stability and economic growth.
NIA Chairman, Mrs Ebelechukwu Nwachukwu, said a well-capitalised insurance industry would be better positioned to meet its obligations promptly, underwrite complex and large-scale risks and serve as a dependable pillar of the Nigerian economy.
She made the remarks while commending the National Insurance Commission (NAICOM) for its structured implementation of the new minimum capital requirements under the Nigerian Insurance Industry Reform Act (NIIRA) 2025.
Mrs Nwachukwu said NAICOM’s clear guidelines, systematic verification process, defined timelines and rigorous supervision had provided operators with a credible framework for navigating the recapitalisation exercise.
She described the outcome as a major milestone for the industry and congratulated the 43 insurance and reinsurance companies that have successfully met the prescribed minimum capital requirements.
According to her, the exercise represents “a major win not just for regulators and operators, but for policyholders, investors and the wider Nigerian economy.”
Mrs Nwachukwu said the association would continue to work with NAICOM and other stakeholders to consolidate the gains of the exercise, with emphasis on sustainable industry growth, stronger market conduct and improved consumer confidence.
The official also expressed solidarity with the eight companies still undergoing final verification and regulatory review, urging them to remain confident as NAICOM completes the process within the 14-day review period.
The NIA chairman assured policyholders and the wider business community that the insurance industry would emerge from the recapitalisation exercise stronger, more resilient and better positioned to contribute to Nigeria’s economic development.
