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Economy

Oil Prices Fall Below $100 as US Holds Off on Iran Attack

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oil prices fall

By Adedapo Adesanya

Oil prices dropped over 10 per cent on Monday after US President Donald Trump said he would postpone any military strikes against Iranian power plants for five days.

Brent futures fell by $12.25 or 10.9 per cent ‌to settle at $99.94 a barrel, while the US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude lost $10.10 or 10.3 per cent to trade at $88.13 per barrel.

President Trump claimed that constructive talks to resolve hostilities in the Middle East were going, hours before a deadline that threatened to escalate the four-week-old war over the Strait of Hormuz, where roughly 20 per cent of global oil and liquefied petroleum gas (LNG) flows through and which disruption has already driven a sharp spike in crude prices and heightened fears of a prolonged supply shock.

The Iranian media claimed there had been no direct or indirect contact with President Trump.

Iran’s Revolutionary ​Guards had said they would attack Israel’s power plants and those supplying US bases across the Gulf region if America follows through with Mr Trump’s threat to “obliterate” Iran’s ​power network. The war has already damaged major energy facilities in the Gulf and effectively halted shipping through the strait.

Amid the tussle, it was reported that two tankers bound for India sailed through the Strait of Hormuz on Monday carrying LNG loaded in the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait.

The head of the International Energy Agency (IEA), Mr Fatih Birol, estimated that since the current crisis, which started with bombings against the regime in Tehran on 28 February, there have been losses of 11 million barrels of oil per day and about 140 billion cubic metres of gas.

Mr Birol said that about 5 million barrels of oil had been lost in the two previous crises in 1973 and 1979, while Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine removed about 75 billion cubic metres of natural gas from international markets.

The supply crunch has led to a temporary waiver of US sanctions on Russian and Iranian oil already at ‌sea. Indian ⁠refiners plan to resume buying Iranian oil while refiners elsewhere in Asia are examining such a move.

There was a surplus in global oil markets at the start of 2026, but recent developments have sparked shortages and growing anxieties around the world.

Beyond supply, some demand has also been affected as global air travel remains severely disrupted after the Iran war forced the closure of key Middle Eastern hubs including Dubai, Doha and Abu Dhabi, stranding tens of thousands of passengers.

Adedapo Adesanya is a journalist, polymath, and connoisseur of everything art. When he is not writing, he has his nose buried in one of the many books or articles he has bookmarked or simply listening to good music with a bottle of beer or wine. He supports the greatest club in the world, Manchester United F.C.

Economy

Wems BO Plans Personal Finance Retreat to Empower Nigerians

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By Adedapo Adesanya

Financial educator and coach, Mrs Wemimo “Wems BO” Bolu-Opaniran, is set to host the maiden edition of the Wems BO Personal Finance Retreat 1.0, a weekend event aimed at helping participants improve their financial literacy and develop practical money management skills.

According to a statement, the retreat is designed to make personal finance engaging and accessible through interactive sessions, games, networking opportunities, and one-on-one coaching sessions.

The organisers said the event will focus on providing attendees with practical and actionable financial knowledge rather than conventional lecture-style teaching.

“Come and unravel financial wisdom and leave with a practical and concrete action plan,” the organisers stated in a statement.

Activities lined up for the retreat include interactive finance sessions, networking opportunities, personal finance workbooks, games and activities, food and souvenirs, as well as three months of exclusive access to the event replay.

Speaking on the rationale for organising the event, Wems BO noted that lack is primarily not always the reason people have bad finances, but often, money culture is.

“The way one sees and treats money has been a development from years and decades past. So, what to do about money is not the solution. It is mindset, defaults and motivations shaping decisions.

The solution is an inner inquiring on why you do what you do, beyond money. Understanding who you are, then beginning to drive decisions that make you grow, manage and scale your finances in a way that aids the life you want,” she told Business Post.

Participants will also have the opportunity to receive one-on-one coaching with the finance guru.

The event is scheduled to be held from Friday, July 17 to Saturday, July 18, 2026, at an in-house venue on Lagos Mainland.

Ticket prices were pegged at N40,000 for individual attendees and N76,000 for duo tickets, with organisers noting that limited slots remain available.

Interested participants can register through the official registration link.

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Economy

Unlisted Securities Index Rises 0.91%

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Unlisted Securities Market

By Adedapo Adesanya

A 0.91 per cent growth was recorded by the NASD Over-the-Counter (OTC) Securities Exchange on Friday, May 22, after the share prices of four securities ended in green.

According to data, FrieslandCampina Wamco Plc went up by N15.61 to N179.67 per share from N164.06 per share, Newrest Asl Plc grew by N6.11 to N67.26 per unit from N61.15 per unit, Food Concepts Plc appreciated by 17 Kobo to N2.75 per share from N2.58 per share, and Nitrox Industrial Gases Plc added 6 Kobo to sell at N25.50 per unit compared with the previous day’s N25.44 per unit.

At the close of business, the market capitalisation chalked up N23.22 billion to settle at N2.561 trillion versus Thursday’s N2.538 trillion, and the NASD Unlisted Security Index (NSI) increased by 38.81 points to 4,281.28 points from 4,242.47 points.

During the session, the price of Central Securities and Clearing System (CSCS) Plc was down by N3.13 to N71.07 per share from N74.20 per share.

The activity chart showed that the volume of securities transacted by the market participants decreased yesterday by 81.6 per cent to 590,339 units from the 3.2 million units recorded on Thursday, as the number of deals shrank by 28.6 per cent to 30 deals from the 42 deals recorded a day earlier, while the value of securities increased by 0.5 per cent to N95.3 million from the preceding session’s N94.8 million.

Great Nigeria Insurance (GNI) Plc closed the day as the most active stock by value on a year-to-date basis, with a turnover of 3.4 billion units worth N8.4 billion, followed by Infrastructure Credit Guarantee (Infracredit) Plc with 2.3 billion units sold for N6.5 billion, and CSCS Plc with 61.2 million units traded for N4.1 billion.

The most active stock by volume on a year-to-date basis was GNI Plc, with the sale of 3.4 billion units for N8.4 billion, followed by Infracredit Plc with 2.3 billion units valued at N6.5 billion, and Resourcery Plc with 1.1 billion units exchanged for N415.7 million.

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Economy

Stock Investors Gain N344bn amid Decline in Transactions

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By Dipo Olowookere

The Nigerian Exchange witnessed a decline in transactions on Friday despite closing higher by 0.22 per cent on the back of sustained bargain-hunting.

During the last trading session of the week, investors transacted 711.9 million equities valued at N29.1 billion in 62,386 deals compared with the 1.1 billion equities worth N31.0 billion traded in 62,448 deals in the previous day, indicating a decline in the trading volume, value, and number of deals by 35.28 per cent, 6.13 per cent, and 0.10 per cent, respectively.

Fidelity Bank closed the day as the most active stock with the sale of 198.1 million units for N4.6 billion, Access Holdings traded 69.7 million units worth N1.8 billion, Mutual Benefits exchanged 42.7 million units valued at N197.4 million, Japaul transacted 33.9 million units worth N134.4 million, and Zenith Bank sold 24.4 million units valued at N3.2 billion.

Yesterday, the industrial goods index rose by 0.53 per cent, the consumer goods sector jumped 0.28 per cent, the banking industry improved by 0.25 per cent, and the energy counter soared by 0.18 per cent, while the insurance space shed 0.18 per cent.

At the close of business, the All-Share Index (ASI) gained 536.98 points to finish at 249,712.37 points compared with the previous day’s 249,175.39 points, and the market capitalisation grew by N344 billion to N160.077 trillion from N159.733 trillion.

Aluminium Extrusion and DAAR Communications expanded by 10.00 per cent each to sell for N9.90 and N2.09, respectively, RT Briscoe surged by 9.93 per cent to N14.06, Learn Africa increased by 9.79 per cent to N12.90, and Red Star Express advanced by 9.56 per cent to N34.95.

On the flip side, Trans-Nationwide Express depreciated by 9.92 per cent to N5.72, Livestock Feeds dipped by 9.64 per cent to N8.90, The Initiates crashed by 8.65 per cent to N33.80, Ellah Lakes drowned by 8.64 per cent to N10.05, and Neimeth lost 6.36 per cent to trade at N10.30.

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