Economy
Market Witnesses High Demand for Fidelity Bank, MTN Stocks
By Dipo Olowookere
The nation’s stock market started on a positive note on Monday, closing 0.12 per cent higher as results of the key players in the market have started to come in.
Yesterday, investors had time to chew the Q1 2021 earnings of UBA released on Sunday and they were happy with the impressive performance of the tier-one lender as it recorded double-digit growth across key performance indicators.
Also, Business Post observed a huge demand for the shares of MTN Nigeria and Fidelity Bank at the market on Monday and the transactions had a significant impact on the activity chart.
According to data from the exchange, a total of 508.6 million equities worth N32.1 billion exchanged hands in 4,323 deals yesterday compared with the 262.5 million equities worth N2.5 billion transacted in 3,525 deals last Friday.
This indicated that the trading volume rose by 93.74 per cent, the trading value increased by 1216.61 per cent and the number of deals appreciated by 22.64 per cent.
MTN Nigeria accounted for 181.7 million shares worth N29.7 billion, Fidelity Bank accounted for 106.9 million stocks worth N224.8 million, FBN Holdings traded 35.0 million equities valued at N267.2 million, UAC Nigeria exchanged 20.4 million stocks for N209.0 million, while Zenith Bank traded 18.2 million equities valued at N392.8 million.
During the session, FCMB recorded the highest gain with a growth of 9.77 per cent to trade at N2.92, followed by Northern Nigerian Flour Mills, which gained 9.35 per cent to sell for N5.85.
University Press appreciated by 9.35 per cent to N1.17, Honeywell Flour rose by 9.24 per cent to N1.30, while Mutual Benefits Assurance gained 8.82 per cent to close at 37 kobo.
On the flip side, FTN Cocoa lost 10.00 per cent to sell for 45 kobo, Unity Bank shed 7.81 per cent to trade at 59 kobo, UAC Property lost 5.06 per cent to finish at 75 kobo, Jaiz Bank depreciated by 4.69 per cent to 61 kobo, while Africa Prudential declined by 4.55 per cent to N5.25.
On Monday, the insurance, banking and consumer goods sectors closed higher by 0.40 per cent, 0.30 per cent and 0.10 per cent respectively, while the energy space lost 0.20 per cent, with the industrial goods counter closing flat.
As for the All-Share Index (ASI), it increased by 46.72 points to 38,854.73 points from 38,808.01 points, while the market capitalisation jumped by N24 billion to N20.334 trillion from N20.310 trillion.
Economy
Xenergi in Talks to Acquire 51% Stake in Premier Paints
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
One of the paint makers in Nigeria, Premier Paints Plc, is currently in talks with a new investor, Xenergi Limited, for the purchase of 51 per cent stake in the company.
Xenergi Limited intends to acquire shares of Clover Global Resources Limited and TGHL Capital Limited in the organisation.
Business Post gathered that the new investor will buy 39.02 per cent from Clover Global Resources Limited and 15.20 per cent from TGHL Capital Limited.
The deal, according to a regulatory notice issued on Tuesday on the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) Limited, will involve about 63 million shares of Premier Paints.
At the current share price of the paint producer, this should be about N630 million as it closed at N10.00 per unit on NGX on December 16, 2025.
“Subject to obtaining required regulatory approvals, the transaction is expected to close before January 31, 2026.
“The company will continue to inform the public of the progress of the transaction,” the disclosure signed by the company secretary, Alozie Nwokoro, said.
Economy
Naira Trades Flat Across FX Market Windows as CBN Moves to Ease Pressure
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Naira was flat against the US Dollar in the Nigerian Autonomous Foreign Exchange Market (NAFEX) on Tuesday, December 16, retaining the previous closing value of N1,451.82/$1.
In the same vein, the local currency saw no movement against the Pound Sterling and the Euro in the spot market during the session at N1,943.98/£1 and N1,705.74/€1, respectively.
Also, the Nigerian Naira remained unchanged in the black market yesterday at N1,475/$1 and was N1,460/$1 at the GTBank forex counter.
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has strengthened US Dollar supply with $250 million to authorised dealer banks at the official window cumulatively as foreign portfolio investors, exporters and non-bank corporate supply dripped.
The spread between official and other non-regulated markets decreased to N30.59$/1 from N44.57/$1, from the previous week, research subsidiary of Coronation Merchant Bank Limited said in a report.
FX analysts said foreign exchange inflows through the Nigerian Foreign Exchange Market decreased to $716.3 million from $844.70 million in the previous week , a 15 per cent drop in a week.
Foreign portfolio investors accounted for the highest share of inflows at 32.98 per cent, followed by exporters at 30.84 per cent, the CBN (17.36 per cent), Non-bank Corporates (16.94 per cent), others (0.72 per cent) and Individuals (0.63 per cent).
On Monday, Nigeria’s headline inflation rate eased to 14.45 per cent in November 2025, down from 16.05 per cent recorded in October, according to the latest Consumer Price Index (CPI) report released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), representing a decrease of 1.6 percentage points month-on-month and marks a significant moderation compared to the same period last year.
As for the cryptocurrency market, there was some recoveries after overall capitalization falling below $3 trillion for the third time in a month. Large-cap assets, particularly those with Exchange Traded Fund (ETF) exposure, are experiencing selling pressure as institutional investors reassess risk.
Ripple (XRP) appreciated by 1.5 per cent to $1.92, Litecoin (LTC) expanded by 1.5 per cent to $78.91, Dogecoin (DOGE) rose by 0.8 per cent to $0.1308, Solana (SOL) went up by 0.4 per cent to $127.60, Binance Coin (BNB) grew by 0.3 per cent to $865.40, and Bitcoin (BTC) gained 0.2 per cent to sell at $86,735.17.
On the flip side, Cardano (ADA) depreciated by 1.0 per cent to $0.3802 and Ethereum (ETH) slumped by 0.4 per cent to $2,935.85, while the US Dollar Tether (USDT) and the US Dollar Coin (USDC) were flat at $1.00 each.
Economy
Stock Investors’ Portfolios Swell N14bn as Index Rises 0.01%
By Dipo Olowookere
A marginal 0.01 per cent rise was recorded by the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) Limited on Tuesday. This was different from the flattish mode of the market the previous day.
Investor sentiment remained bullish as Customs Street finished with 31 price gainers and 26 price losers, implying a positive market breadth index.
Aluminium Extrusion topped the gainers’ log after it improved its price by 10.00 per cent to N9.35, Guinness Nigeria appreciated by 9.98 per cent to N263.40, Multiverse expanded by 9.95 per cent to N12.15, MeCure Industries also soared by 9.95 per cent to N45.85, and Sovereign Trust Insurance advanced by 9.89 per cent to N4.11.
Conversely, Haldane McCall led the losers’ chart after it shed 9.93 per cent to settle at N3.72, Veritas Kapital lost 9.09 per cent to close at N1.60, LivingTrust Mortgage Bank also declined by 9.09 per cent to N3.50, and Linkage Assurance depreciated by 5.71 per cent to N1.65.
During the trading day, the All-Share Index (ASI) went up by 21.23 points to 149,459.11 points from the previous day’s 149,437.88 points and the market capitalisation increased by N14 billion to N95.281 trillion from N95.267 trillion.
Yesterday, traders transacted 1.0 billion equities for N21.8 billion in 23,701 deals compared with the 553.1 million equities valued at N13.3 billion traded in 28,907 deals on Monday, representing a decline in the number of deals by 18.01 per cent, and a surge in the trading volume and value by 80.80 per cent and 63.91 per cent apiece.
Access Holdings traded 385.8 million stocks worth N7.7 billion, Champion Breweries transacted 111.8 million shares valued at N817.8 million, Sterling Holdings exchanged 85.5 million equities for N589.9 million, FCMB sold 74.7 million shares valued at N791.5 million, and First Holdco transacted 51.9 million equities worth N1.8 billion.
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