Economy
Asian Equities Close Mixed on Friday
By Investors Hub
Asian stocks ended mixed on Friday as investors reacted to conflicting messages about the state of U.S.-China trade talks.
Trade deal optimism waned a little bit after reports suggested that a plan to roll back tariffs in phases has met opposition from some advisers to U.S. President Donald Trump.
Chinese shares ended lower even as data showed China’s exports and imports contracted less than expected in October. The benchmark Shanghai Composite Index shed 14.53 points, or 0.5 percent, to finish at 2,964.18, while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index dropped 196.09 points, or 0.7 percent, to 27,651.14.
Chinese exports fell 0.9 percent year-on-year in dollar terms, declining for the third straight month. Economists had expected a 3.9 percent slump following September’s 3.2 percent contraction.
Imports declined 6.4 percent from a year earlier, slower than the forecast of a 7.8 percent fall. This was the sixth consecutive decrease, reflecting subdued demand.
Japanese shares hit a 13-month high after data showed the country’s household spending rose at the fastest pace on record in September. The average of household spending in Japan rose an annual 9.5 percent in real terms in September, beating forecasts for an increase of 7.0 percent following the 1.0 percent gain in August.
The Nikkei 225 Index rose 61.55 points, or 0.3 percent, to 23,391.87, while the broader Topix closed 0.3 percent higher at 1,702.77, its highest level in more than a year.
Automaker Toyota rallied 2.2 percent after announcing a $1.8 billion share buyback. Medical equipment maker Terumo soared 13.4 percent and department store operator Isetan Mitsukoshi jumped 11.7 percent after posting strong quarterly earnings.
On the other hand, cosmetics maker Shiseido slumped 8.3 percent after lowering its full-year forecast.
Australian markets ended little changed with a negative bias. Financials extended gains from the previous session, with banks ANZ, Commonwealth and NAB rising between 0.2 percent and half a percent.
An overnight rally in oil prices lifted energy stocks, with Woodside Petroleum rallying 2 percent after raising its estimate for dry gas reserves at its Scarborough project. Santos advanced 1.5 percent and Origin Energy climbed 2.1 percent.
Meanwhile, gold miner Evolution Mining slumped 5.8 percent, Newcrest lost 4.6 percent and Norther Star Resources plunged 6.6 percent as gold lingered near one-month lows on positive trade-related headlines.
News Corp. lost 5 percent after impairment charges against its advertising business resulted in the media company reporting a first quarter loss.
REA Group tumbled 3.6 percent as it reported a 14 percent decrease in first-quarter group earnings excluding joint ventures and associates.
Seoul stocks turned lower as investors locked in some recent gains. The benchmark Kospi dropped 7.06 points, or 0.3 percent, to 2,137.23, with technology stocks pacing the decliners. Samsung Electronics fell 1.5 percent and SK Hynix declined 1.6 percent.
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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