Economy
Asian Stocks Slip on Release of Chinese Inflation Data
By Investors Hub
Asian stocks ended Tuesday’s session on a mixed note as Chinese inflation data signaled weakness in domestic and overseas demand. Investors also awaited the ECB, Fed and BoJ meetings for fresh clues on the monetary policy outlook.
Chinese shares ended slightly lower after the release of the inflation data. The benchmark Shanghai Composite Index slipped 0.1 percent to 3,021.20, while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index ended marginally higher at 26,683.68.
Data showed Chinese consumer prices climbed at a steady pace in August, while producer prices declined further on weak demand, signaling deflationary pressures.
Consumer prices rose 2.8 percent year-on-year in August, the same pace of growth as seen in July. Economists had forecast the rate of inflation to slow to 2.7 percent.
Producer prices fell 0.8 percent annually after easing 0.3 percent in the previous month. Prices were expected to drop 0.9 percent.
Japanese shares hit a six-week high as a weak yen and higher bond yields helped lift exporters and financials. The Nikkei 225 Index ended the session up 73.68, points, or 0.4 percent, at 21,392, while the broader Topix closed 0.4 percent higher at 1,557.99.
Automakers Honda Motor, Toyota Motor and Subaru rose 1-2 percent as the safe-haven yen touched a five-week low of 107.46 per dollar. Mazda Motor shares soared 5 percent.
Nissan Motor jumped 3.7 percent on news that CEO Hiroto Saikawa will resign. Banks Mizuho Financial, Sumitomo Mitsui Financial and Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group rallied 3-4 percent after U.S. government debt yields rose.
Construction machinery makers Komatsu and Hitachi Construction Machinery climbed 3-4 percent.
Meanwhile, Australian markets fell notably, dragged down by technology and healthcare stocks. The benchmark S&P/ASX 200 Index dropped 33.90 points, or 0.5 percent, to 6,614.10, while the broader All Ordinaries Index ended down 32.10 points, or 0.5 percent, at 6,728.
Tech stocks fell on valuation concerns, with Afterpay Touch Group slumping 4.1 percent and WiseTech Global tumbling 7 percent. In the healthcare sector, Heavyweight drugmaker CSL lost 2.7 percent.
Diversified miner South32 gave up 1.8 percent as copper prices slipped on concerns that China’s factory deflation could hit the global economy via exports.
Graphite miner Syrah Resources plummeted 33.3 percent after the company said it would reduce production in October-December to about 5,000 tons per month. Gold miners Evolution and Newcrest gave up around 4 percent as gold prices hit four-week lows.
On the other hand, Origin Energy, Oil Search, Woodside Petroleum and Santos climbed 2-4 percent, buoyed by a rise in oil prices on optimism that OPEC and other countries may agree to extend production cuts.
Australian business confidence and conditions deteriorated in August, survey results from the National Australia Bank showed today. The business confidence index fell to +1 from +4 in July.
Seoul stocks extended gains for the fifth day running on hopes that new talks between the U.S. and China can lead to progress. Markets were also supported by expectations of a new wave of stimulus by the European Central Bank.
The benchmark Kospi climbed 12.53 points, or 0.6 percent, to close at 2,032.08 ahead of the upcoming Chuseok holidays, the Korean equivalent of Thanksgiving.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) is seeking a reduction in import duty exemptions, which rose to N34 trillion, limiting its ability to increase its revenue generation threshold.
The Comptroller-General of the Customs Service, Mr Adewale Adeniyi, disclosed that the value of import duty exemption certificate approvals increased to that level in 2025, describing the policy as one of the major factors restricting its revenue generation.
At an investigative session of the Senate Committee on Finance with revenue-generating agencies in Abuja on Monday, Mr Adeniyi explained that government fiscal policies have continued to impact the revenue-generating capacity of the Customs Service, both positively and negatively.
“The NCS would have generated significantly higher revenue over the years if not for government-approved import duty waivers and other external factors affecting collections,” he said.
He added that the Import Duty Exemption Certificate scheme, introduced in March 2020, accounted for about N34 trillion in approvals in 2025, with nearly 60 per cent covering duty-free importation of military hardware due to Nigeria’s prevailing security challenges.
Other government-backed duty waivers, he noted, covered the importation of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG), electric and hybrid vehicles, healthcare equipment and medical supplies, industrial machinery and manufacturing inputs, as well as food import intervention programmes.
While acknowledging the impact of the waivers on Customs revenue, Mr Adeniyi argued that fiscal policy should not be assessed solely on the basis of revenue generation but also on its broader economic and social objectives.
He, however, urged the federal government to establish stronger monitoring mechanisms to ensure beneficiaries of duty waivers deliver the intended economic outcomes, including lower consumer prices, increased local production and improved healthcare access.
The committee also expressed displeasure over the absence of several heads of government agencies invited to the hearing, including the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN), Industrial Training Fund (ITF), and the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Jabi.
The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Finance, Mr Sani Musa, warned that the affected chief executives must appear at the committee’s next sitting or face severe sanctions under the Senate’s rules.
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By Adedapo Adesanya
The NASD Over-the-Counter (OTC) Securities Exchange rose by 0.40 per cent on Monday, July 13, buoyed by buying interest in 11 Plc, Central Securities Clearing System (CSCS) Plc and UBN Property Plc, which offset the profit-taking in Food Concepts Plc, the parent company of Chicken Republic.
11 Plc gained N20.69 to end at N227.64 per share compared with last Friday’s price of N206.95 per share, CSCS Plc grew by N1.83 to N91.48 per unit from N89.65 per unit, and UBN Property Plc added 1 Kobo to sell at N1.81 per share versus N1.80 per share.
On the flip side, Food Concepts Plc depreciated by 24 Kobo to close at N2.45 per unit, in contrast to the preceding session’s N2.69 per unit.
As a result, the market capitalisation increased by N9.2 billion to N2.587 trillion from N2.578 trillion, and the NASD Security Index (NSI) improved by 15.33 points to 4,311.67 points from 4,296.34 points.
Yesterday, the volume of securities traded by investors surged by 615.9 per cent to 9.1 million units from the previous 1.3 million units, and the value of securities rose by 997.1 per cent to N320.4 million from the preceding session’s N29.2 million, while the number of deals decreased by 12.5 per cent to 28 deals from last Friday’s 32 deals.
At the close of trades, Great Nigeria Insurance (GNI) Plc remained the most active stock by value on a year-to-date basis, with 3.4 billion units valued at N8.4 billion, followed by Infrastructure Credit Guarantee (Infracredit) Plc with 2.3 billion units worth N6.5 billion, and CSCS Plc with 73.9 million units exchanged for N5.2 billion.
GNI Plc also closed the session as the most traded stock by volume on a year-to-date basis, with 3.4 billion units sold for N8.4 billion, followed by Infracredit Plc with 2.3 billion units traded for N6.5 billion, and Resourcery Plc with 1.1 billion units transacted for N415.7 million.
