Economy
Asian Stock Markets Finish Mixed on Tuesday
By Investors Hub
Asian stocks ended mixed on Tuesday amid conflicting signals from the Trump administration over proposed restrictions on foreign investment in U.S. technology companies.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said on Twitter Monday that reports on investment restrictions by The Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg news are “false, fake news”.
But Mnuchin said in a statement that a forthcoming announcement would not be aimed solely at China but will apply to all countries that are trying to steal American technology.
Further confusing matters, White House economic advisor Peter Navarro told CNBC that the Trump administration currently doesn’t have any specific countries targeted.
China’s Shanghai Composite index fell 14.83 points or 0.52 percent to 2,844.51 ahead of manufacturing and non-manufacturing data due on Saturday. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index eased 0.28 percent to close at 28,881.
Japanese shares finished marginally higher after hitting 3-1/2-week lows earlier in the day on concerns over a deepening trade row between the United States and major economies. The Nikkei average ended little changed at 22,342 while the broader Topix index closed 0.16 percent higher at 1,731.07.
Department store operator Takashimaya advanced 1.8 percent after it reported a 5.7 percent rise in Q1 operating profit. Large-cap stocks succumbed to selling pressure, with Fast Retailing and SoftBank ending down 2.8 percent and 2.5 percent, respectively. Discount clothing chain Shimamura plunged 15.7 percent on disappointing first-quarter results.
Australian markets fell modestly as weaker commodity prices pulled down material stocks, offsetting gains in the banking sector.
The benchmark S&P/ASX 200 index dropped 12.80 points or 0.21 percent to 6,197.60 while the broader All Ordinaries index ended down 16.60 points or 0.26 percent at 6,292.10.
Mining giant BHP Billiton fell over 1 percent after it signed a deal with Brazilian authorities to settle lawsuits over a 2015 dam disaster. Rival Rio Tinto, Fortescue Metals Group, South32 and BlueScope Steel lost 1-3 percent.
Healthcare stocks also retreated, with CSL and Cochlear declining 0.7 percent and 1.3 percent, respectively.
Woodside Petroleum dropped 1 percent and Santos shed 0.8 percent after oil prices fell overnight.
Banks ANZ, Commonwealth and NAB closed up between 0.4 percent and 0.9 percent after falling heavily in the previous session.
In economic news, Australia’s consumer confidence weakened for the second straight time during the week ended June 24, a weekly survey compiled by the ANZ bank and Roy Morgan Research showed. The consumer confidence index dropped to 121.4 from 122.1 in the preceding week.
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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