Economy

US Stocks May Extend Rally on Growing Trade Talks Optimism

Published

6 years ago

11/10/2019

By Investors Hub

The major U.S. index futures are currently pointing to a higher opening on Friday, with stocks likely to extend the rally seen over the two previous sessions.

Growing optimism about ongoing U.S.-China trade talks is likely to contribute to continued strength on Wall Street as the high-level negotiations move into their second day.

President Donald Trump told reporters shortly after the close of trading on Thursday that the talks with China are going ?really well.?

?So, we just completed a negotiation with China. We?re doing very well. We?re having another one tomorrow. I?m meeting with the Vice Premier over at the White House,? Trump said. ?And I think it?s going really well, I will say. I think it?s going really well.?

While Trump is almost always upbeat about talks with China, his remarks were backed up by a White House official, who told Reuters the talks had gone very well, ?probably better than expected.?

A U.S. Chamber of Commerce official briefed on the talks also told reporters the two sides could at least reach a partial deal that includes the U.S. calling off a planned increase in tariffs on Chinese goods.

Traders are likely to remain focused on any reports of progress in the talks or a lack thereof, potentially leading to some volatility on Wall Street.

Following the strong upward move seen on Wednesday, stocks saw some further upside during trading on Thursday. With the gains, the major averages further offset the sharp pullback that was seen earlier in the week.

The major averages pulled back off their best levels of the day but remained firmly positive. The Dow climbed 150.66 points or 0.6 percent to 26,496.67, the Nasdaq advanced 47.04 points or 0.6 percent to 7,950.78 and the S&P 500 rose 18.73 points or 0.6 percent to 2,938.13.

Buying interest emerged on Wall Street after Trump revealed he plans to meet with Chinese Vice Premier Liu He as part of high-level U.S.-China trade talks.

“Big day of negotiations with China. They want to make a deal, but do I? I meet with the Vice Premier tomorrow at The White House,” Trump tweeted.

The tweet from Trump offset concerns generated by reports suggesting Liu could leave Washington earlier than originally planned.

Adding to the positive sentiment, Liu told Chinese state-run media Xinhua the Chinese delegation has come to the talks with “great sincerity and is willing to make serious exchanges with the U.S. on issues of common concern.”

“On the basis of equality and mutual respect, China is willing to reach consensus with the U.S. through this round of consultations on issues of mutual concern to prevent further escalation and spread of friction,” Liu said.

Traders are likely to remain focused on reports regarding the highly anticipated negotiations and any signs of progress or lack thereof.

As a result of the focus on the trade talks, traders largely shrugged off a usually closely watched report from the Labor Department showing U.S. consumer prices were essentially flat in the month of September.

The Labor Department said its consumer price index was unchanged in September after inching up by 0.1 percent in August. Economists had expected another 0.1 percent uptick.

Consumer prices came in unchanged as higher prices for shelter and food were offset by declines in prices for energy and used cars and trucks.

Excluding food and energy prices, core consumer prices crept up by 0.1 percent in September after rising by 0.3 percent for three straight months. Core prices had been expected to rise by 0.2 percent.

“The muted gain in core consumer prices in September underlines that even after the introduction of additional tariffs on Chinese imports, inflationary pressures are still well-contained,” said Andrew Hunter, Senior U.S. Economist at Capital Economics.

“With wage growth leveling off and unit labor costs growth stable, we don’t think core inflation will rise further from here,” he added. “As a result, the Fed will remain focused on the incoming activity data, which we expect to prompt one more 25bp rate cut by year-end.”

A separate report released by the Labor Department showed a modest decrease in first-time claims for U.S. unemployment benefits in the week ended October 5th.

Steel stocks turned in some of the market’s best performances of the day, benefiting from the optimism about the U.S.-China trade talks.

Reflecting the strength in the steel sector, the NYSE Arca Steel Index surged up by 2.9 percent, climbing further off the more than one-month closing low set on Tuesday.

Significant strength also emerged among oil service stocks, as reflected by the 1.8 percent gain posted by the Philadelphia Oil Service Index. The index also continued to rebound after ending Tuesday’s trading at its lowest closing level in well over a month.

Financial, transportation, and natural gas stocks also saw considerable strength on the day, moving higher along with most of the other major sectors.

Economy

NBA Demands Suspension of Controversial Tax Laws

Published

12 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

14 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

15 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.