Economy
Asian Equities Advance as Chinese Trade Data Tops Forecasts
By Investors Hub
Asian stocks ended mostly higher on Tuesday as Chinese trade data topped forecasts and investors awaited an announcement by President Donald Trump on whether he will withdraw from the nuclear deal with Iran.
China’s Shanghai Composite Index climbed 24.95 points or 0.8 percent to 3,161.60 after the release of upbeat trade figures for April. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index surged up 408.55 points or 1.4 percent to 30,402.81.
Chinese exports climbed 12.9 percent year-over-year in April, well above the expected rise of 6.8 percent. Imports spiked 21.5 percent from a year ago, exceeding economists’ forecast for an increase of 15.9 percent. The trade surplus totaled $28.8 billion in April versus the expected surplus of $25.7 billion.
Japanese shares recovered from a weak start to end modestly higher, led by banks and drug makers. The benchmark Nikkei 225 Index gained 41.53 points or 0.2 percent to end at 22,508.69, while the broader Topix Index closed 0.4 percent higher at 1,779.82.
Lender Mitsubishi UFJ Financial rose 0.9 percent, Sumitomo Mitsui Financial inched up 0.4 percent and Mizuho Financial Group gained 0.6 percent. Takeda Pharmaceutical Company soared 4 percent ahead of its announcement to buy larger rival Shire for $62.42 billion.
On the data front, average household spending in Japan fell 0.7 percent year-on-year in March, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications said, coming in at 301,230 yen. That missed forecasts for an increase of 1.1 percent.
Australian shares ended marginally higher, led by financials as Australia and New Zealand Banking Group flagged the likelihood of an additional buyback of shares to the tune of $1 billion-$1.5 billion.
Investors also waited for the release of the annual budget amid expectations the government will announce hefty health and infrastructure spending and deliver tax cuts targeting lower and middle-income earners.
Meanwhile, market participants shrugged off soft retail sales figures for March. Retail sales remained flat in March, defying economists’ forecast for an increase.
The benchmark S&P/ASX 200 Index inched up 7.40 points or 0.1 percent to 6,091.90, while the broader All Ordinaries Index ended 7.60 points higher at 6,183.20.
ANZ shares rose over 1 percent, Commonwealth advanced 1.1 percent and Westpac added 1.3 percent. Investment bank Macquarie Group rallied 1.7 percent to extend gains for the fourth straight session.
Healthscope jumped 3.3 percent after Canada’s NorthWest Healthcare Properties REIT said it has taken a 10 percent interest in the company. Biotherapeutics company CSL climbed 1.5 percent.
Meanwhile, Beach Energy, Origin Energy, Woodside Petroleum and Santos dropped 1-2 percent as oil prices retreated from three-and-a-half-year highs ahead of Trump’s decision on Iran.
By Dipo Olowookere
The Nigerian Exchange (NGX) Limited shed 0.66 per cent on Thursday, driven primarily by sell-offs in financial stocks.
During the session, the insurance counter depreciated by 2.26 per cent, the banking space dropped 2.04 per cent, the consumer goods index tumbled by 1.18 per cent, and the industrial goods sector gave up 0.70 per cent. They offset the 0.01 per cent leap recorded by the energy segment at the close of business.
Consequently, the All-Share Index (ASI) moderated by 1,617.91 points to 245,362.26 points from the previous day’s 246,980.17 points, and the market capitalisation retreated by N1.005 trillion to N158.340 trillion from Wednesday’s N159.345 trillion.
The worst-performing equity was Tripple Gee, which crashed by 10.00 per cent to N2.88. Lasaco Assurance declined by 9.92 per cent to N2.18, C&I Leasing slumped by 9.84 per cent to N5.50, Mutual Benefits depreciated by 9.80 per cent to N3.22, and Trans-Nationwide Express decreased by 9.03 per cent to N2.82.
The best-performing equity was Legend Internet, which chalked up 8.64 per cent to close at N4.40. DAAR Communications advanced by 7.32 per cent to N1.76, Sterling Holdings grew by 6.67 per cent to N8.00, Sovereign Trust Insurance expanded by 5.73 per cent to N2.03, and Royal Exchange soared by 4.69 per cent to N1.34.
Trading activity yesterday improved when compared with midweek’s, with the volume of trades up by 176.72 per cent to 2.1 billion shares from the 758.9 million shares recorded a day earlier. The value of transactions increased by 582.84 per cent to N230.8 billion from N33.8 billion, and the number of deals shrank by 12.71 per cent to 48,231 deals from the 55,251 deals executed on Wednesday.
First Holdco was the busiest stock for the day, with a turnover of 1.6 billion units valued at N196.2 billion, Access Holdings sold 37.4 million units for N998.5 million, Sterling Holdings exchanged 36.0 million units worth N286.8 million, Ellah Lakes transacted 34.8 million units for N297.8 million, and Zenith Bank traded 33.1 million units valued at N4.0 billion.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The oil market settled lower by 1 per cent on Thursday as traders digested proposed plans for a Saudi Arabia-led maritime coalition to boost defence cooperation around the Red Sea.
Brent futures slipped by $1.71 or 1.88 per cent to $89.03 a barrel, while the US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures declined by 87 cents or 1.03 per cent to trade at $83.59 per barrel.
Saudi Arabia seeks to lead a coalition to boost defence cooperation in the Bab El-Mandeb Strait, the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.
The Saudi defence ministry said 14 states, including Turkey, Pakistan, Egypt, Sudan and Djibouti, have issued a joint statement in support of the proposed multinational maritime defence coalition.
This comes after Iran-aligned Houthi militants in Yemen declared a naval blockade last week on Saudi Arabia, threatening the Red Sea route for its oil exports, an alternative to the largely blockaded Strait of Hormuz. The strait, which normally handles around a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas flows, has remained a focal point for oil markets since the US and Israel launched the war on Iran on February 28.
Houthis had attacked Saudi Arabia this week from Iraqi territory in coordination with Iraqi armed groups, reflecting growing coordination among Iran-aligned militias, two officials in the region said. The attacks included strikes on oil facilities in Saudi Arabia’s eastern province, the kingdom’s main crude hub.
Iran and Oman also continued talks on the management of the Strait of Hormuz, after Iran previously ruled out Oman’s proposal for regional joint management of the waterway.
It also denied that it is negotiating with US officials and gave no sign that it was ready to make new concessions over its effective closure of the strait.
Meanwhile, the US military said it had hit dozens of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) targets in Iran in an operation launched after it fired ballistic missiles at U.S. forces in the Middle East.
Fresh supply worries also emerged after tankers loading at the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) terminal headed away from the Black Sea after a vessel was hit during loading at the terminal on Thursday.
A Ukrainian drone attack caused a fire at Lukoil’s Perm refinery that damaged and forced the shutdown of one of its crude distillation units.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
The federal government has been urged to give all the necessary support to indigenous investors, as they remain Nigeria’s most important drivers of employment, foreign exchange generation and long-term economic resilience.
This advice was given by foremost businessman, Mr Aliko Dangote, when he welcomed the Minister of State for Industry, Mr John Owan Enoh, to the Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals in Lagos recently.
The business mogul noted that efforts must be made to place industrialisation at the centre of the government’s economic strategy, insisting that no nation has attained prosperity without a strong manufacturing base.
“If Nigeria is to achieve sustainable growth and become a trillion-dollar economy, industrialisation must be the foundation. Indigenous investors remain the strongest catalysts for that transformation,” Mr Dangote stated.
He further stated that, “There is no way to create jobs and prosperity without industrialisation,” declaring that, “The greatest attraction for foreign investors is the success of domestic investors. When local investors thrive, they send a powerful signal that the environment is conducive for investment.”
In his remarks, the Minister promised deeper collaboration with the private sector to accelerate industrialisation, job creation and economic transformation.
He also pledged that the Ministry and its agencies would remain strong advocates of the refinery and the broader industrialisation agenda, adding that the government would continue to engage Dangote Industries Limited through the Industrial Revolution Work Group and ministerial roundtables to address challenges facing manufacturers, particularly access to affordable long-term financing.
Mr Enoh described the integrated industrial complex as one of the most significant investments in Africa and a model for the type of industrial development required to drive Nigeria’s economic growth aspirations.
“This facility matters because of what it represents for Nigerian industry, for our people and for the realisation of President Bola Tinubu’s vision of a one trillion-dollar economy,” he stated, noting that the refinery has emerged as a powerful symbol of value addition, industrial competitiveness and Nigeria’s growing manufacturing capability.
The Minister noted that the refinery has fundamentally changed global perceptions of Nigeria by helping to transform the country from a major importer of refined petroleum products into an exporter serving international markets.
“When global supply disruptions occurred, Nigeria was able to export petroleum products to markets in the Middle East and beyond. That is an extraordinary achievement and one that deserves recognition,” he added.
