Economy
Are Stop Losses for Wimps?
By Steve Brice
When I started out in banking, I was based in a dealing room advising traders on potential positions to take. The positions were focused and generally very short-term in nature. Therefore, risk management was not a ‘nice-to-have’, it was vital to job security. When entering a trade, a stop-loss – a level at which the position taken would be unwound if it was losing money – was a must.
It was against this backdrop that a former colleague quipped that ‘stop-losses are for wimps’. He was of course referring to certain stocks in his portfolio which had fallen dramatically – he was probably justifying to himself why he should keep it! However, it raises an interesting question: Should we employ stop-losses when we invest?
While many people will be very passionate about this topic, as with most things in life, context is key. If you think about it, the existence of the stop-loss is a hedge against the fact that nobody knows what is going to happen and therefore you need to build in a circuit-breaker to avoid the behavioural biases that come with a loss-making position – the ostrich, or ‘head in the sand’, syndrome.
So, how does this translate for an average investor? I would argue that there are two dimensions to consider: the nature of investments being discussed and your time horizon. Let’s take each in turn.
I have a much greater conviction level that a diversified ‘foundation’ allocation (which includes exposure to different asset classes such as stocks, bonds, gold and private assets), or even a diversified equity portfolio, is more likely to rise over a given period of time than any individual stock.
The reason is simple. Different asset classes have different drivers and hence are usually uncorrelated in their moves. Therefore, just combining them into a portfolio smooths out the bumps and increases the probability of positive returns for the portfolio as a whole.
When it comes to the stock market, there are also different drivers that determine equity market or individual stock returns, but let’s simplify them into broad market drivers and idiosyncratic drivers. If the economy enters a recession, then most stocks will fall sharply in value. However, a company’s failed product launch will largely hit one stock, and those of a few of its suppliers. Its impact on the overall market will be much less severe.
This brings me to Principle Number 1: The broader the investment, the less likely a stop-loss is warranted and that a buy on dips approach makes sense.
A very good friend of mine recently questioned how applicable this ‘buy on dips’ approach was to stock markets outside of the US. So, we ran the numbers for some major global and Asian markets in terms of probability of positive returns over different time horizons and the potential size of returns for investors. The results are pretty interesting.
First, the historical probability of positive equity market returns across any given 12-month period, at around a two-thirds probability, is generally similar across major global or Asian indices – China is an outlier at just 55%. If you extend your time horizon to 5 years, this probability generally increases to around 80% – the outliers are Japan’s TOPIX (66%) and India’s Sensex (92%).
Second, we looked at what has happened after a 10% or 15% market pullback. Focusing on the 1-year time horizon, we can break the countries into 3 groups:
1) either the probability of positive returns or size of average return or both have increased significantly after a market sell-off. Markets that fall into this group include the US, Germany, UK, India.
2) there is no material change in either variable. This includes Hong Kong, Malaysia and Korea. Once you lengthen your time horizon to 5 years though, they all move into the first group.
3) the probability of positive returns or their average quantum actually declines after a sell-off. Japan and onshore China markets fit into this group. On a 5-year time horizon, China also moves into the first group but, interestingly, Japan stays firmly in group 3.
Hence the conclusion is: outside of Japan, the ‘buy on dips’ mantra has made sense, especially when held by long-term investors.
The above analysis highlights the importance of the last factor: time horizon. The dealing room environment generally takes narrow exposures over a very short time horizon. Thus, stop-losses are crucial. However, I believe the message for the average investor is the reverse as long as they are focused on a diversified foundation allocation with a long-term focus.
Structural thematic investments also potentially fall into this category. The longer your time horizon, the more likely your investment is to generate positive returns as long as the structural fundamentals remain supportive. Here, again, instead of a stop-loss being appropriate, market declines offer an opportunity to add to longer-term thematic positions given the likelihood that declines will prove temporary.
Principle number 2: The longer your time horizon, the less desirable a stop-loss is, especially for diversified allocations or long-term structural themes.
Thus, for investors who are trying to trade the market and pick stocks, we believe a strict risk management framework including the use of stop-losses is absolutely critical to returns. However, we believe the majority of investors would be much better served by building a foundation allocation with a ‘buy on dips’ approach. Investors can systematise this ‘buy on dips’ approach through regular portfolio rebalancing – say at least once or twice a year and especially after major market dislocations to bring their allocations back to their desired risk tolerance. Such rebalancing is akin to an investor systematically “buying low and selling high” – a win-win proposition. For these investors, stop-losses are likely to get in the way of wealth accumulation.
Steve Brice is Chief Investment Officer at Standard Chartered Bank’s Wealth Management division
By Dipo Olowookere
The Nigerian Exchange (NGX) Limited suffered a 0.94 per cent loss on Monday, April 27, 2026, which marked the commencement of an extended market session.
A few weeks ago, it was announced that trading activities on Customs Street would now be from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm instead of the usual 9:30 am to 2:30 pm.
This action was taken to allow market participants more time to explore the bourse and further make it robust, especially after the restoration of Nigeria’s frontier market status by FTSE Russell.
The NGX came under selling pressure, which resulted in 35 equities finishing on the gainers’ chart and 40 equities ending on the losers’ table, indicating a negative market breadth index and weak investor sentiment.
Trans-Nationwide Express, First Holdco, and UBA were the worst-performing equities after giving up 10.00 per cent each to trade at N7.11, N67.50, and N49.50, respectively. Access Holdings depreciated by 9.90 per cent to N28.20, and Fidelity Bank crashed by 9.87 per cent to N20.10.
The best-performing equity for the session was Abbey Mortgage Bank, which gained 9.26 per cent to N5.90, Zichis went up by 8.91 per cent to N16.99, Wema Bank expanded by 8.80 per cent to N34.00, NPF Microfinance Bank soared by 8.19 per cent to N5.68, and Coronation Insurance grew by 7.27 per cent to N2.66.
It was observed that the profit-taking was mainly from banking stocks, as the index shed 6.49 per cent. The consumer goods sector lost 0.41 per cent, and the energy counter depreciated by 0.24 per cent.
However, the industrial goods space improved by 0.85 per cent, and the insurance segment appreciated by 0.15 per cent.
But at the close of business, the All-Share Index (ASI) slipped by 2,120.20 points to 223,602.29 points from 225,722.49 points, and the market capitalisation shrank by N1.365 trillion to N143.970 trillion from N145.335 trillion.
A total of 678.2 million shares worth N44.1 billion were traded in 82,838 deals on Monday compared with 627.6 million shares valued at 44.5 billion transacted in 55,232 deals last Friday, representing a drop in the trading value by 0.90 per cent, and a surge in the trading volume and number of deals by 8.06 per cent and 49.98 per cent, respectively.
Zenith Bank was at the zenith of the activity chart yesterday with 76.1 million units sold for N9.5 billion. Wema Bank traded 49.9 million units worth N1.7 billion, Access Holdings exchanged 39.1 million units valued at N1.1 billion, Tantalizers transacted 30.0 million units worth N113.9 million, and AIICO Insurance traded 28.3 million units valued at N118.3 million.
By Adedapo Adesanya
Nigeria has ramped up efforts to secure its oil-rich waters and curb maritime crime, deploying significant naval assets under Exercise Obangame Express 2026 to protect critical energy infrastructure and trade routes in the Gulf of Guinea.
Flagging off the exercise in Onne, Rivers State, the Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Idi Abbas, said the exercise is central to safeguarding economic assets and sustaining investor confidence in Nigeria’s maritime domain.
“The safer maritime environment has enhanced investor confidence, increased shipping activities and supports the Federal Government’s drive towards a sustainable blue economy,” he said in a statement.
The multinational exercise, coordinated with the United States Africa Command, focuses on combating oil theft, piracy, illegal trafficking and other threats that directly impact Nigeria’s oil revenues and regional trade flows.
The focus on maritime security comes amid persistent concerns over crude oil theft and supply chain disruptions, which continue to undermine Nigeria’s production capacity.
Mr Abbas emphasised that coordinated regional efforts remain the most effective response to evolving threats.
“OBANGAME EXPRESS provides a unique opportunity for participating nations to train together, operate together and build the trust necessary for real-time coordination,” he said.
He added that no country can independently secure its maritime domain, stressing the need for sustained partnerships to protect the Gulf’s strategic energy corridor.
Also, the Commander, Eastern Naval Command, Rear Admiral CD Okehie, said the operation reflects a strategic shift toward protecting high-value maritime assets.
“The Gulf of Guinea serves as a major global sea lane of commerce, making it indispensable not only to regional economies but also to international trade,” he noted.
According to him, the Navy’s deployment of 10 ships, helicopters and special forces is designed to strengthen surveillance, interdiction and rapid response capabilities.
With Nigeria’s offshore assets and export routes forming a backbone of national revenue, the exercise signals a renewed push to tighten security, reduce losses and stabilise the broader oil and gas ecosystem.
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
When shareholders of Nigerian Breweries Plc gathered at the company’s 80th Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Lagos, on Wednesday, April 22, 2026, one thing they were sure was not on the agenda was the approval of a dividend for the 2025 financial year.
This was because the board did not propose the payment of a cash reward to investors for the fiscal year for some reasons, which were explained at the meeting.
The chairman of the organisation, Ms Juliet Anammah, told shareholders that the dividend payout was skipped to rebuild retained earnings impacted by prior macroeconomic shocks, particularly foreign exchange-related losses.
“We recognise the importance of dividend payments to our shareholders and sincerely appreciate your continued understanding.
“While we are not declaring a dividend at this time due to negative retained earnings, we are working diligently to restore the company’s financial position and return to dividend payments as soon as it is sustainable to do so,” she explained.
Ms Anammah noted that the board remains vigilant to external risks, including the Middle East crisis and broader macroeconomic challenges, which may impact the pace of improvement in the 2026 financial year.
She thanked shareholders for their continued support and reaffirmed that the company will build on its 2025 performance as it accelerates growth ambitions.
“We have a solid foundation built over eight decades, anchored on a strong portfolio of brands, an extensive nationwide sales and supply chain network, ongoing digital transformation, and most importantly, our people. These strengths remain critical to sustaining our leadership position,” she said.
Despite the non-payment of cash reward for the year, shareholders applauded Nigerian Breweries for strong recovery and improved profitability in the 2025 financial year, driven by disciplined cost management and a significant reduction in finance expenses.
One of them, Mr Eke Emmanuel, who is the immediate past Secretary of the Independent Shareholders Association of Nigeria, praised the board and management for steering the company through a volatile macroeconomic environment while strengthening its financial position, noting that the company’s resilience, at a time when several businesses exited the country, reflects strong leadership and a sound strategic direction.
“It is good news that we have been here for 80 years. There is no reason why we will not be here for the next 80 years with what we have achieved. To return to this level of profitability and cash position shows the Board has done an enormous amount of work,” he said.
Another shareholder, Mr Owolabi Opeyemi of the Noble Shareholders Association, confessed that, “We are proud of how the company has withstood the ups and downs of a challenging environment. The return to profitability and the reversal of the negative cash position recorded in the previous two financial years is commendable.”
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