Economy
Another Early Pullback on Wall Street on Profit Taking
By Investors Hub
The major U.S. index futures are currently pointing to a lower opening on Friday following the upward move seen for five consecutive sessions.
Profit taking may contribute to initial weakness on Wall Street along with concerns about the ongoing government shutdown and skepticism about a potential trade deal between the U.S. and China.
Stocks managed to recover from an early downward move on Thursday, however, as recent upward momentum helped the major averages extend their recent winning streak.
Early trading may be impacted by reaction to a report
from the Labor Department showing a slight drop in consumer prices in
the month of December.
After recovering from an early move to
the downside, stocks moved mostly higher over the course of the trading
day on Thursday. With the turnaround on the day, the major averages
closed higher for the fifth consecutive session.
The major averages ended the day just off their highs of the session. The Dow advanced 122.80 points or 0.5 percent to 24,001.92, the Nasdaq rose 28.99 points or 0.4 percent to 6,986.07 and the S&P 500 climbed 11.68 points or 0.5 percent to 2,596.64.
The initial weakness on Wall Street came as traders cashed in on recent strength on Wall Street as assessments of trade talks between the U.S. and China showed no significant breakthroughs.
A statement from the office of U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer said the meetings were held as part of an agreement between President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping to engage in 90 days of negotiations with a view to achieving needed structural changes in China.
The statement said the talks included discussions on China’s pledge to purchase a substantial amount of U.S. goods and services but did not provide details about the tone or outcome of the meetings.
“The United States officials conveyed President Trump’s commitment to addressing our persistent trade deficit and to resolving structural issues in order to improve trade between our countries,” the statement said.
The statement indicated the delegation led by Deputy U.S. Trade Representative Jeffrey Gerrish will now report back to receive guidance on the next steps.
Meanwhile, a statement from China’s Commerce Ministry described the talks as “extensive, in-depth and detailed” and said the meetings “laid a foundation for the resolution of each others’ concerns.”
Selling pressure waned shortly after the start of trading, however, as traders remain optimistic the U.S. and China will eventually reach a long-term trade deal.
On the U.S. economic front, the Labor Department released a report showing a bigger than expected drop in initial jobless claims in the week ended January 5th.
The report said initial jobless claims fell to 216,000, a decrease of 17,000 from the previous week’s revised level of 233,000.
Economists had expected jobless claims to dip to 225,000 from the 231.000 originally reported for the previous week.
Traders also kept an eye on remarks by Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell, who reiterated the Fed will be patient in raising interest rates further, noting the central bank is “waiting and watching.”
Powell also said during a discussion at the Economic Club of Washington that the Fed’s balance sheet will be “substantially smaller than it is now.”
Biotechnology stocks showed a significant move to the upside over the course of the session, driving the NYSE Arca Biotechnology Index up by 1.6 percent. With the jump, the index reached its best closing level in over a month.
Considerable strength also emerged among interest rate-sensitive commercial real estate and utilities stocks, with the Dow Jones Real Estate Index and the Dow Jones Utility Average both climbing by 1.4 percent.
Telecom, semiconductor, and networking stocks also saw notable strength on the day, while gold stocks moved lower along with the price of the precious metal.
By Adedapo Adesanya
A 10 per cent equity stake has been acquired by Odu’a Investment Company Limited in a subsidiary of FCMB Group Plc, FCMB Pensions Limited.
The move is aimed at strengthening its presence in Nigeria’s growing pension industry.
The company disclosed that the transaction was completed after receiving all required regulatory approvals from the National Pension Commission (PenCom) and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), while the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has also been duly notified.
Odu’a Investment said the acquisition represents a strategic investment in a resilient and steadily expanding segment of Nigeria’s financial services sector.
The company added that the deal also reinforces FCMB Pensions’ shareholder base through the entry of a long-term institutional investor.
Chairman of Odu’a Investment Company Limited, Mr Bimbo Ashiru, said the investment aligns with the organisation’s strategy of partnering with strong institutions operating in sectors critical to Nigeria’s long-term economic stability.
“This investment reflects Odu’a’s strategy of partnering with strong institutions operating in sectors that are central to Nigeria’s long-term economic stability and growth,” he said in a statement.
“The pension industry plays a critical role in mobilising long-term savings and strengthening the financial system. FCMB Pensions has built a solid platform serving contributors across Nigeria, and we see a significant opportunity to support its continued growth and impact,” he added.
Also commenting on the transaction, the Managing Director of Odu’a Investment Company Limited, Mr Abdulrahman Yinusa, described the deal as a vote of confidence in FCMB Pensions’ leadership and long-term prospects.
“Our partnership with FCMB Group Plc reflects confidence in FCMB Pensions’ strategy, leadership, and long-term potential. Together, we will work to expand its reach, support its strategic objectives, and deliver sustained value to contributors and other stakeholders,” Mr Yinusa said.
The investment brings together two established institutions with complementary strengths and a shared focus on long-term value creation. According to the company, the partnership positions FCMB Pensions to deepen market penetration and enhance service delivery within Nigeria’s contributory pension scheme.
Odu’a Investment Company Limited is an investment holding company jointly owned by the governments of the six South-West states of Nigeria.
The firm manages a diversified portfolio spanning real estate, financial services, hospitality, agriculture, and industrial investments, with a mandate to generate sustainable economic value and support regional development.
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
The chief executive of the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) Group Plc, Mr Temi Popoola, has said Nigeria’s capital market is undergoing a re-rating as global investors begin to reassess the country’s economic trajectory and investment potential.
“What we are seeing is a gradual re-rating of Nigeria. investors are beginning to look at the data more closely, the returns, the reforms, and the improving macroeconomic direction, and that is changing sentiment,” he said during a live interview on BBC Newsday in London.
He is in the United Kingdom as part of broader investor and stakeholder engagements during President Bola Tinubu’s state visit to Buckingham Palace.
Mr Popoola explained that Nigeria’s equity market has delivered strong returns in recent months, positioning it more competitively among emerging and frontier markets. According to him, this performance is helping to recalibrate long-held risk perceptions and attract renewed interest from international investors.
He added that improvements in Nigeria’s energy landscape, including increased domestic refining capacity and ongoing sector reforms, are helping to reduce the economy’s exposure to external oil price shocks, further strengthening investor confidence.
Mr Popoola emphasised that beyond short-term market movements, consistency in policy implementation will be critical in sustaining this shift in perception. “Global capital responds to clarity and consistency. As those elements become more evident, Nigeria naturally becomes more investable.”
He also highlighted the importance of sustained engagement with global financial centres, noting that platforms such as London play a key role in connecting Nigeria’s capital market to international pools of capital.
According to him, Nigeria’s evolving market structure, combined with ongoing reforms, is strengthening its position as a viable destination for long-term investment. “There is a broader recognition that Nigeria offers significant opportunities. The focus now is ensuring that this recognition translates into sustained capital flows.”
The NGX group chief concluded that Nigeria’s capital market is increasingly being viewed through a more balanced and data-driven lens, reflecting both its resilience and its long-term growth potential.
By Adedapo Adesanya
Global cryptocurrency platform, Luno, has launched a structured crypto prediction markets product in Nigeria, which will enable customers to apply their market knowledge to short-term crypto price events and earn USDC when their insights are correct.
The prediction market allows customers to express a view on whether the price of selected crypto assets, being BTC, ETH, SOL, DOGE, and XRP, will be above or below the daily price event. The market operates daily with clearly defined rules and settlement periods, offering customers structured, time-bound opportunities to act on their conviction.
Nigeria remains one of the most active crypto markets globally, with increasing demand for tools that combine simplicity and transparency. By introducing Prediction Markets focused solely on price levels, Luno aims to provide a fast, confident, and opportunity-forward format for market engagement.
Unlike traditional gaming or prediction firms like Polymarket and Kalshi, in which the odds are set by the company, Luno’s Prediction Market, powered by Limitless, is focused exclusively on crypto asset price movements within the Luno platform.
This means customers are not purchasing the underlying asset, but participating in a defined, outcome-based market that settles transparently based on real-time price data.
According to a statement, the launch reflects a broader shift in how customer behaviour is evolving in Nigeria’s growing crypto asset ecosystem, particularly as crypto asset adoption matures, many users are seeking more flexible and responsive ways to engage with markets beyond long-term holding or traditional spot trading.
Luno’s Prediction Markets product is designed to meet this demand within a familiar and regulated platform environment. The feature builds on how customers already interact with crypto asset prices – analysing charts, following market news, and forming views- and provides a structured framework for expressing those views.
According to Mr Ayotunde Alabi, chief executive of Luno Nigeria, the company is combining crypto education with a secure platform to help Nigerians confidently apply their market knowledge in a responsible and practical way.
“We are seeing a clear shift in how Nigerians want to engage with crypto assets. Many already follow price movements closely and form strong market views; we want to lead with education as well as provide a safe and secure platform to help them apply that knowledge. This feature is designed to be a natural extension for those who enjoy forecasting.
“By tying this to our ongoing educational initiatives, such as our scholarships with AltSchool, we are encouraging users to apply what they have learned about market analysis into a practical, responsible framework. Our priority is ensuring that where confidence meets opportunity, it is supported by the standards of trust our customers expect.”
Luno said it will further support the rollout with Learn & Earn educational content and tutorials explaining market mechanics and price determination. To promote informed decision-making and ensure the product is used responsibly,
Luno has embedded specific controls, including customers reading and acknowledging a risk disclosure before participating, as well as moving funds from their ordinary USDC wallet to a separate prediction wallet, which will be used to participate in prediction markets.
The firm also said that customers cannot hold both sides of the same market, in this case, Above and Below at the same time.
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