Economy
Investors Raise Eyebrows as FTN Cocoa, Japaul Gain Over 40% in Four Days
By Dipo Olowookere
Last week, which had only four trading sessions, shares of FTN Cocoa Processors and Japual Gold & Ventures Plc appreciated by over 40 per cent on the floor of the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE).
In the previous week, the companies’ stocks grew by double-digits at the market, causing some investors to begin to probe the rationale behind the sudden rise in the equities of the firms.
Business Post reports that a few days ago, the NSE lifted the suspension placed on FTN Cocoa after it filed its outstanding financial statements, while Japual changed its trading symbol to a new one after its change of name.
At the market last week, shares of FTN Cocoa rose by 43.55 per cent to settle at 89 kobo per unit, while equities of Japaul improved by 41.18 per cent to trade at 48 kobo per share.
They were among the 35 equities that appreciated in price during the week, though lower than the 53 equities in the previous week.
In the week, BOC Gases grew by 20.83 per cent to sell at N8.70 per share, Dangote Cement appreciated by 16.95 per cent to close at N245.00 per unit, while Oando grew by 15.92 per cent to settle at N3.64 per share.
Conversely, a total of 18 stocks depreciated in price, higher than 17 equities in the previous week and they were led by Trans-Nationwide Express, which fell by 9.20 per cent to close at 79 kobo per share.
John Holt decreased by 8.93 per cent to 51 kobo per unit, Champion Breweries lost 7.87 per cent to close at 82 kobo per share, International Breweries dropped 5.90 per cent to sell at N5.90 per unit, while Ardova depreciated by 5.24 per cent to finish at N13.55 per share.
During the week, a total of 108 equities remained unchanged, higher than 91 recorded in the previous week.
A look at the key performance indicators of the market showed that the All-Share Index and market capitalisation appreciated by 5.42 per cent to close the week at 38,800.01 points and N20.279 trillion respectively.
Similarly, all other indices finished higher with the exception of the banking, AFR Bank Value, AFR Div Yield and MERI Growth which depreciated by 1.03 per cent, 0.95 per cent, 0.31 per cent and 0.80 per cent, while the ASeM and Growth indices closed flat.
On the activity chart, by the time market closed on Thursday, December 24, 2020, for the Christmas break, a total of 2.8 billion shares worth N40.3 billion had exchanged hands in 17,459 deals in contrast to the 1.9 billion shares valued at N17.7 billion traded in 20,660 deals a week earlier.
The financial services sector led the chart with 2.1 billion shares valued at N19.5 billion traded in 8,327 deals, contributing 76.40 per cent and 48.26 per cent to the total equity turnover volume and value respectively.
The consumer goods industry followed with 182.1 million shares worth N4.4 billion in 2,485 deals, while the industrial goods counter recorded a turnover of 145.8 million shares worth N10.6 billion in 2,587 deals.
Access Bank, Zenith Bank and AXA Mansard Insurance were the most active stocks accounting for 1.4 billion shares worth N13.9 billion in 2,972 deals, contributing 52.23 per cent and 34.44 per cent to the total equity turnover volume and value respectively.
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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