Economy
Asian Equities Fall Sharply on Disappointing Chinese Trade Data
By Investors Hub
Asian stocks fell sharply on Friday after the European Central Bank downgraded its 2019 GDP forecast and China reported worse than expected trade data for the month of February.
Investors also looked ahead to the release of the U.S. Labor Department’s closely watched monthly jobs report for February later in the day.
China’s Shanghai Composite Index plummeted 136.56 points or 4.4 percent to 2,969.86, the biggest slump since October, after official data showed Chinese exports tumbled the most in three years in February and imports fell for a third straight month. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index plunged 551.03 points or 1.9 percent to 28,228.42.
Chinese exports nosedived 20.7 percent in February from a year earlier, reflecting weaker demand and distortions from the Lunar New Year holiday. That was far below expectations for a 4.8 percent drop. Imports fell 5.2 percent after a 1.5 percent decrease in January.
Japanese shares extended losses for a fourth straight session to hit a three-week low, as a downward revision of the ECB’s growth/inflation projections as well as weak Chinese data sapped investors’ appetite for risk. Meanwhile, a raft of domestic data proved to be a mixed bag.
The Cabinet Office said in a final reading that Japanese GDP gained a seasonally adjusted 0.5 percent sequentially in the fourth quarter of 2018. That beat expectations for an increase of 0.4 percent.
Current account surplus and household spending figures for January topped forecasts, while bank lending grew an annual 2.3 percent in February, down from 2.4 percent in January.
The Nikkei 225 Index tumbled 430.45 points or 2 percent to 21,025.56, the lowest closing level since February 15th and the biggest single-day loss since February 8th. The broader Topix closed 1.8 percent lower at 1,572.44.
Kawasaki Kisen slumped 12.6 percent after saying it would carry out business structural reforms. Mitsui OSK Lines lost 3 percent and Nippon Yusen retreated 3.2 percent. In the technology sector, Advantest tumbled 5.7 percent and Tokyo Electron gave up 3.6 percent.
Financials also ended mostly lower after the yield on 10-year Treasury note fell the most in nine weeks on global growth concerns. Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group declined 2.3 percent and Dai-ichi Life Holdings plunged 4.8 percent.
Australian markets fell sharply as the ECB’s dovish turn with a surprise decision to offer more stimulus added to investor concerns about growth.
The benchmark S&P/ASX 200 Index tumbled 60.10 points or 1 percent to 6,203.80, while the broader All Ordinaries Index ended down 57.10 points or 0.9 percent at 6,287.10.
Commonwealth Bank of Australia lost 2 percent and Westpac Banking dropped 1.3 percent as their chief executives appeared before the parliamentary committee to answer questions related to widespread misconduct in the sector. ANZ declined 2.3 percent and NAB shed 1.1 percent.
Mining heavyweight BHP fell 1.3 percent and Rio Tinto gave up 1.6 percent after copper prices fell overnight.
Automotive Holdings Group plunged 3.7 percent and Infigen Energy plummeted 6.5 percent after S&P Dow Jones Indices said they would be removed from the benchmark on March 18th.
Seoul stocks also plunged, with the benchmark Kospi closing down 28.35 point or 1.3 percent at 2,137.44, its lowest closing level since January 24.
South Korea posted a current account surplus of $2.77 billion in January, the Bank of Korea said, down from $4.82 billion in December. The goods account surplus narrowed to $5.61 billion compared to the $7.55 billion figure for January of 2018.
By Adedapo Adesanya
Nigeria added 150,000 barrels per day to its crude production in November 2024 as it continues to pursue an ambitious 2 million barrels per day target.
According to the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), Nigeria’s oil production rose to 1.48 million barrels per day in November, up from 1.33 million barrels per day the previous month.
In its Monthly Oil Market Report (MOMR), OPEC revealed that at 1.48 million barrels per day, it is the continent’s leading oil producer, surpassing Algeria’s 908,000 barrels per day and Congo’s 268,000 barrels per day.
Business Post reports that OPEC doesn’t account for condensates, which Nigeria’s accounts for in its broader 2 million barrels per day target.
Despite the surge in production levels, Nigeria is still under producing its 1.5 million barrels per day output quota under a deal involving OPEC and 10 other producers known as OPEC+.
OPEC said it relied on primary data gotten through direct communication, noting that secondary sources reported 1.417 million barrels per day as Nigeria’s crude production in November — up from 1.4 million barrels per day in October.
The data also shows that OPEC’s total oil production among its 12 members rose by 104,000 barrels per day in the month under review.
According to secondary sources, the total of the 12 OPEC countries’ crude oil production averaged 26.66 million barrels per day in November 2024.
“Crude oil output increased mainly in Libya, Iran, and Nigeria, while production in Iraq, Venezuela, and Kuwait decreased”, OPEC said.
“At the same time, total non-OPEC DoC crude oil production averaged 14.01 mb/d in November 2024, which is 219 tb/d higher, m-o-m. Crude oil output increased mainly in Kazakhstan and Malaysia,” the organisation added.
In a related development, OPEC trimmed its 2024 and 2025 oil demand growth forecasts for the fifth time this year.
Now, the cartel expects the world’s oil demand growth at 1.61 million barrels per day from the previously 1.82 million barrels per day.
For 2025, OPEC says the world oil demand growth forecast is now at 1.45 million barrels per day, a 900,000 barrels per day cut from the previously expected 1.54 million barrels per day.
On the changes, OPEC says that the downgrade for this year owes to more bearish data received in the third quarter of 2024 while the projections for next year relate to the potential impact that will arise from US tariffs.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The duo of Afriland Properties Plc and Geo-Fluids Plc crashed the NASD Over-the-Counter (OTC) Securities Exchange by a marginal 0.06 per cent on Wednesday, December 11 due to profit-taking activities.
The OTC securities exchange experienced a downfall at midweek despite UBN Property Plc posting a price appreciation of 17 Kobo to close at N1.96 per share, in contrast to Tuesday’s closing price of N1.79.
Business Post reports that Afriland Properties Plc slid by N1.14 to finish at N15.80 per unit versus the preceding day’s N16.94 per unit, and Geo-Fluids Plc declined by 1 Kobo to trade at N3.92 per share compared with the N3.93 it ended a day earlier.
At the close of transactions, the market capitalisation of the bourse, which measures the total value of securities on the platform, shrank by N650 million to finish at N1.055 trillion compared with the previous day’s N1.056 trillion and the NASD Unlisted Security Index (NSI) went down by 1.86 points to wrap the session at 3,012.50 points compared with 3,014.36 points recorded in the previous session.
The alternative stock market was busy yesterday as the volume of securities traded by investors soared by 146.9 per cent to 5.9 million units from 2.4 million units, as the value of shares transacted by the market participants jumped by 360.9 per cent to N22.5 million from N4.9 million, and the number of deals increased by 50 per cent to 21 deals from 14 deals.
When the bourse closed for the day, Geo-Fluids Plc remained the most active stock by volume (year-to-date) with 1.7 billion units valued at N3.9 billion, followed by Okitipupa Plc with 752.2 million units worth N7.8 billion, and Afriland Properties Plc 297.5 million units sold for N5.3 million.
Also, Aradel Holdings Plc, which is now listed on the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) Limited after its exit from NASD, remained the most active stock by value (year-to-date) with 108.7 million units sold for N89.2 billion, trailed by Okitipupa Plc with 752.2 million units valued at N7.8 billion, and Afriland Properties Plc with 297.5 million units worth N5.3 billion.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The euphoria around the recent appreciation of the Naira eased on Wednesday, December 11 after its value shrank against the US Dollar at the Nigerian Autonomous Foreign Exchange Market (NAFEM) by N5.23 or 0.3 per cent to N1,547.50/$1 from the N1,542.27/$1 it was valued on Tuesday.
It was observed that spectators’ activities may have triggered the weakening of the local currency in the official market at midweek as they tried to fight back and ensure the value of funds in foreign currencies strengthened.
The domestic currency was regaining its footing after the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) launched an Electronic Foreign Exchange Matching System (EFEMS) platform to tackle speculation and improve transparency in Nigeria’s FX market.
At midweek, the Nigerian currency depreciated against the Pound Sterling by N3.56 to close at N1,958.68/£1 compared with the preceding day’s N1,955.12/£1 and against the Euro, it slumped by 34 Kobo to trade at N1,612.66/€1, in contrast to the previous session’s N1,613.00/€1.
As for the black market segment, the Naira lost N45 against the American currency during the session to quote at N1,670/$1 compared with the N1,625/$1 it was traded a day earlier.
A look at the cryptocurrency market showed a recovery following profit-taking as the US Consumer Price Index report matched economist forecasts.
The news was enough to convince traders that the Federal Reserve is certain to trim its benchmark fed funds rate another 25 basis points at its meeting next week.
The move also saw Bitcoin (BTC), the most valued coin, return to the $100,000 mark as it added a 2.9 per cent gain and sold for $100,566.12.
The biggest gainer was Cardano (ADA), which jumped by 15.00 per cent to trade at $1.16, as Litecoin (LTC) appreciated by 10.4 per cent to sell for $121.76, and Ethereum (ETH) surged by 7.0 per cent to $3,929.30, while Dogecoin (DOGE) recorded a 6.7 per cent growth to finish at $0.4181.
Further, Binance Coin (BNB) went up by 5.2 per cent to $716.72, Solana (SOL) expanded by 4.6 per cent to $229.77, and Ripple (XRP) increased by 4.2 per cent to $2.43, while the US Dollar Tether (USDT) and the US Dollar Coin (USDC) closed flat at $1.00 apiece.
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