Economy

US Stocks May Show Lack of Direction After Tuesday’s Sell-Off

Published

8 years ago

25/04/2018

By Investors Hub

The major U.S. index futures are pointing to a mixed opening on Wednesday following the sell-off seen in the previous session. While the Dow futures are up by 18 points, the Nasdaq futures dare own by 7.5 points.

The futures came under pressure early this morning as the yield on the benchmark ten-year note climbed more firmly above 3 percent.

The ten-year yield rose above 3 percent for first time since early 2014 in intraday trading on Tuesday before giving back ground.

Concerns rising inflation may lead the Federal Reserve to hike interest rates faster than previously expected have recently pushed yields higher.

Nonetheless, the futures significantly pared their losses following the release of quarterly results from aerospace giant Boeing (BA).

Boeing reported first quarter results that beat analyst estimates on both the top and bottom lines and raised its full-year guidance.

Overall trading activity may be somewhat subdued, however, as a lack of major U.S. economic data may keep some traders on the sidelines.

After failing to sustain an initial upward move, stocks moved sharply lower over the course of the trading session on Tuesday. With the pullback on the day, the Dow closed lower for the fifth consecutive session.

The major averages climbed off their worst levels in late-day trading but remained firmly negative. The Dow tumbled 424.56 points or 1.7 percent to 24,024.13, the Nasdaq plunged 121.25 points or 1.7 percent to 7,007.35 and the S&P 500 slumped 35.73 points or 1.3 percent to 2,634.56.

The sell-off on Wall Street came as traders shrugged off an initial positive reaction to earnings news from several big-name companies.

Shares of Caterpillar (CAT) showed a notable downturn after the heavy equipment maker reported better than expected first quarter results but executives said the quarter would be the “high watermark for the year.”

Conglomerate 3M Corp. (MMM) also showed a significant move to the downside after reporting first quarter earnings that matched estimates but lowering its full-year guidance.

Shares of Google parent Alphabet (GOOGL), Travelers (TRV) and Coca-Cola (KO) also moved lower after the companies reported their quarterly results.

Selling pressure may also have been generated by a continued increase in U.S. treasury yields, with the yield on the benchmark ten-year note climbing above 3 percent for the first time since early 2014.

The increase in treasury yields came following the release of some upbeat economic data, including a report from the Commerce Department showing a bigger than expected increase in new home sales in the month of March.

The report said new home sales soared by 4.0 percent to an annual rate of 694,000 in March after surging up by 3.6 percent to a revised rate of 667,000 in February. Economists had expected new home sales to climb by 1.9 percent.

With the bigger than expected increase, new home sales rose to their highest annual rate since hitting 711,000 last November. New home sales were up by 8.8 percent year-over-year.

A separate report from the Conference Board showed an unexpected improvement in consumer confidence in the month of April.

The Conference Board said its consumer confidence index rose to 128.7 in April from a revised 127.0 in March. Economists had expected the index to dip to 126.1.

Chemical stocks moved sharply lower over the course of the trading session, dragging the S&P Chemical Sector Index down by 2.5 percent.

DowDuPont (DWDP), Ingevity (NVGT) and Huntsman (HUN) turned in some of the chemical sector’s worst performances on the day.

Significant weakness also emerged among transportation stocks, as reflected by the 2.1 percent slump by the Dow Jones Transportation Average.

Retail, biotechnology, housing, and tobacco stocks also saw considerable weakness, while gold stocks bucked the downtrend amid an increase by the price of the precious metal.

Economy

NBA Demands Suspension of Controversial Tax Laws

Published

7 hours ago

24/12/2025

Modupe Gbadeyanka

By Modupe Gbadeyanka

The federal government has been asked by the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) to suspend the implementation of the controversial tax laws.

In a reaction to the tax reform acts, the president of the group, Mr Afam Osigwe (SAN), the suspension of the laws would allow for a proper investigation into allegations of alterations in the gazetted and harmonised copies.

A member of the House of Representatives, Mr Abdussamad Dasuki, alleged that some parts of the laws passed by the parliament were different from the gazetted copy.

To address the issues raised, the NBA said it is “imperative that a comprehensive, open, and transparent investigation be conducted to clarify the circumstances surrounding the enactment of the laws and to restore public confidence in the legislative process.”

“Until these issues are fully examined and resolved, all plans for the implementation of the Tax Reform Acts should be immediately suspended,” the association declared.

It noted that the controversies “raise grave concerns about the integrity, transparency, and credibility of Nigeria’s legislative process.”

“These developments strike at the very heart of constitutional governance and call into question the procedural sanctity that must attend lawmaking in a democratic society,” it noted.

“Legal and policy uncertainty of this magnitude has far-reaching consequences. It unsettles the business environment, erodes investor confidence, and creates unpredictability for individuals, businesses, and institutions required to comply with the law. Such uncertainty is inimical to economic stability and should have no place in a system governed by the rule of law.

“Nigeria’s constitutional democracy demands that laws, especially those with profound economic and social implications, emerge from processes that are transparent, accountable, and beyond reproach. Anything short of this undermines public trust and weakens the foundation upon which lawful governance rests.

“We therefore call on all relevant authorities to act swiftly and responsibly in addressing this controversy, in the overriding interest of constitutional order, economic stability, and the preservation of the rule of law,” the organisation stated.

Economy

MRS Oil, Two Others Raise NASD Bourse Higher by 0.52%

Published

9 hours ago

24/12/2025

Adedapo Adesanya

By Adedapo Adesanya

Demand for hot stocks, including MRS Oil Plc, buoyed the NASD Over-the-Counter (OTC) Securities Exchange by 0.52 per cent on Tuesday, December 23.

The energy company was one of the three price gainers for the session as it chalked up N19.69 to sell at N216.59 per share versus the previous day’s value of N196.90 per share.

Further, FrieslandCampina Wamco Nigeria Plc gained N2.95 to close at N56.75 per unit versus N53.80 per unit and Golden Capital Plc appreciated by 84 Kobo to N9.29 per share from Monday’s N8.45 per share.

Consequently, the market capitalisation went up by N10.95 billion to N2.125 trillion from N2.125 trillion and the NASD Unlisted Security Index (NSI) rose by 18.31 points to 3,570.37 points from 3,552.06 points.

Yesterday, the NASD bourse recorded a price loser, the Central Securities Clearing System Plc (CSCS), which gave up 17 Kobo to close at N33.70 per unit against the previous trading value of N33.87 per unit.

The volume of securities traded at the session went down by 97.6 per cent to 297,902 units from the previous day’s 12.6 million units, the value of securities decreased by 98.5 per cent to N10.5 million from N713.6 million, and the number of deals remained flat at 32 deals.

By value, Infrastructure Credit Guarantee Company (InfraCredit) Plc ended as the most actively traded stock on a year-to-date basis with 5.8 billion units exchanged for N16.4 billion. This was followed by Okitipupa Plc, which traded 178.9 million units valued at N9.5 billion, and MRS Oil Plc with 36.1 million units worth N4.9 billion.

In terms of volume, also on a year-to-date basis, InfraCredit Plc led the chart with a turnover of 5.8 billion units traded for N16.4 billion. Industrial and General Insurance (IGI) Plc ranked second with 1.2 billion units sold for N420.7 million, while Impresit Bakolori Plc followed with the sale of 536.9 million units valued at N524.9 million.

Economy

NGX All-Share Index Soars to 153,354.13 points

Published

10 hours ago

24/12/2025

Dipo Olowookere

By Dipo Olowookere

It was another bullish trading session for the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) Limited as it closed higher by 0.59 per cent on Tuesday.

The market further rallied due to continued interest in large and mid-cap stocks on the exchange by investors rebalancing their portfolios for the year-end.

Yesterday, Aluminium Extrusion sustained its upward trajectory after it further appreciated by 9.96 per cent to N14.90, as Austin Laz gained 9.81 per cent to close at N2.91, Custodian Investment improved by 9.69 per cent to N38.50, and First Holdco soared by 9.35 per cent to N50.30.

Conversely, Royal Exchange declined by 7.22 per cent to N1.80, Champion Breweries shrank by 6.57 per cent to N15.65, NASCON lost 5.36 per cent to trade at N105.05, Sovereign Trust Insurance depreciated by 5.28 per cent to N3.77, and Japaul went down by 4.51 per cent to N2.33.

At the close of business, 29 shares ended on the gainers’ table and 27 shares finished on the losers’ log, representing a positive market breadth index and bullish investor sentiment.

This raised the All-Share Index (ASI) by 895.06 points to 153,354.13 points from 152,459.07 points and lifted the market capitalisation by N579 billion to N97.772 trillion from the previous day’s N97.193 trillion.

VFD Group finished the day as the busiest stock after it recorded a turnover of 192.0 million units worth N2.1 billion, GTCO exchanged 63.5 million units valued at N5.6 billion, Access Holdings traded 49.8 million units for N1.0 billion, First Holdco sold 45.8 million units valued at N2.3 billion, and Secure Electronic Technology transacted 38.3 million units worth N28.4 million.

In all, market participants bought and sold 677.4 million units valued at N20.8 billion in 27,589 deals compared with the 451.5 million units worth N13.0 billion traded in 33,327 deals on Monday, showing an improvement in the trading volume and value by 50.03 per cent and 60.00 per cent apiece, and a shortfall in the number of deals by 17.22 per cent.