Economy
Bargain-Hunting Drives Nigerian Stocks Higher by 0.67%
By Dipo Olowookere
Normalcy was restored to the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) Limited on Tuesday after the previous day’s scare triggered by the alleged invasion of the headquarters of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) for the arrest of the Governor of the bank, Mr Godwin Emefiele, by operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) over allegations bordering on terrorism financing and others.
The development forced some investors to reduce their exposure to Nigerian stocks, weakening the market by 0.31 per cent at the close of business on Monday.
However, news that the situation was under control and that President Muhammadu Buhari had allegedly asked the secret police to obey a court order, which stopped it from taking any action against the CBN chief, boosted the confidence of investors.
This triggered a bargain-hunting yesterday and raised the local bourse higher by 0.67 per cent when trading activities were wrapped up by 2:30 pm.
Consequently, the All-Share Index (ASI) increased by 352.49 points to 52,701.31 points from 52,348.82 points, and the market capitalisation gained N192 billion to close at N28.705 trillion, in contrast to the previous day’s N28.513 trillion.
Business Post observed that most of the sectors of the exchange performed better on Tuesday, as only the insurance counter closed lower by 0.08 per cent. The consumer goods space gained 0.53 per cent, the banking counter appreciated by 0.19 per cent, the energy index also grew by 0.19 per cent, and the industrial goods sector improved by 0.08 per cent.
A look at the activity chart showed that traders transacted 228.5 million shares worth N4.4 billion in 3,681 deals compared with the 221.9 million shares worth N3.3 billion traded in 5,219 deals on Monday, indicating a decline in the number of deals by 29.47 per cent, an improvement in the volume of trades by 2.99 per cent, and an increase in the value of transactions by 33.33 per cent.
Financial stocks were the most attractive to investors during the session, with Sterling Bank trading 76.7 million units and Chams transacting 17.6 million units. GTCO traded 16.8 million shares, Zenith Bank sold 11.3 million equities, and Royal Exchange transacted 10.7 million stocks.
Investor sentiment was strong yesterday, unlike in the preceding trading day, as the stock market ended with 21 appreciating equities and 15 depreciating equities, indicating a positive market breadth.
UPDC REIT topped the gainers’ chart after its value rose by 10.00 per cent to N3.30, MRS Oil increased by 9.93 per cent to N15.50, Chellarams rose by 9.92 per cent to N1.33, Sunu Assurances appreciated by 8.82 per cent to 37 Kobo, and McNichols grew by 7.02 per cent to 61 Kobo.
Conversely, UPDC topped the losers’ log as it fell by 6.93 per cent to 94 Kobo, Geregu Power dropped 6.71 per cent to N139.00, Linkage Assurance depreciated by 6.38 per cent to 44 Kobo, Royal Exchange declined by 5.26 per cent to 90 Kobo, and PZ Cussons went down by 5.21 per cent to N10.00.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) and the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) are collaborating to develop a regulatory framework to provide operational guidelines for Submarine Cables and Pipeline Operators in Nigeria.
Submarine and cable operators in Nigeria have been notified of the soon-to-be-implemented regulatory guideline for submarine cables and pipelines in Nigeria, in line with the provisions of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
Speaking at a pre-audit meeting of both organs of government in Lagos on submarine cable regulation, the Director General of NIMASA, Mr Bashir Jamoh, noted that the agency was committed to the Ease of Doing Business while implementing International Conventions which Nigeria has ratified and domesticated.
He noted that with Nigeria now a destination for global communication players, the time has come to prevent unregulated underwater cable laying, which might become hazardous to shipping.
According to him, “It is worthy to note that marine cable laying has been ongoing for over two decades in Nigerian waters. Our focus is to ensure the safety of navigation of shipping in Nigerian waters with all these underwater cables being laid.”
“NIMASA is developing the guidelines to regulate submarine cable operators in line with the provisions of UNCLOS; which we have ratified and NIMASA will be the agency responsible for its implementation.
“We do not just implement laws; we consult. Where the responsibility of an Agency stops, that is where the responsibilities of another agency start. Collaboration is a key component of ease of doing business in the best interest of the country and we will work closely with the NCC to achieve this,” he said.
On his part, the Executive Vice Chairman of the NCC, Mr Umar Garba Danbatta, who was represented by the Director, Compliance Monitoring and Enforcement, Mr Efosa Idehen, noted that the stakeholders’ dialogue strategy adopted by NIMASA in developing the guidelines would ensure a win-win situation urging NIMASA management to include the Ministry of Justice, a request NIMASA DG immediately granted.
Also speaking at the meeting was the Director General of the Bureau of Public Service Reforms, Mr Dasuki Arabi, who commended NIMASA and NCC for adopting effective Inter-Agency collaboration to avert a potential challenge for the country in the future.
NIMASA and the NCC also agreed to identify and resolve areas of likely regulatory overlaps, ensuring a regulatory framework based on consultation to engender the attainment of Nigeria’s digital economy transformation.
By Dipo Olowookere
The Nigerian Exchange (NGX) Limited recorded a 0.06 per cent loss on Friday as a result of the selling pressure on some blue-chip stocks at the bourse.
It was observed that the decline was mainly driven by the poor performances of financial and industrial goods shares during the trading session.
Data obtained by Business Post showed that the insurance space lost 1.01 per cent, the industrial goods counter depreciated by 0.66 per cent, the banking sector declined by 0.25 per cent, and the consumer goods category shed 0.21 per cent, while the energy index remained flat.
Consequently, the All-Share Index (ASI) moderated by 31.55 points to 54,892.53 points from 54,924.08 points, and the market capitalisation went down by N18 billion to N29.903 trillion from N29.921 trillion.
A total of 137.6 million shares valued at N3.9 billion exchanged hands in 2,912 deals on the last trading session of the week compared with the 117.9 million shares worth N1.4 billion traded in the preceding session in 2,575 deals, representing an improvement in the trading volume, value and the number of deals by 16.71 per cent, 178.57 per cent, and 13.09 per cent, respectively.
Fidelity Bank closed the session as the most traded equity after it sold 21.5 million units and was trailed by GTCO, which sold 14.9 million units. Neimeth traded 14.0 million shares, UBA exchanged 12.8 million equities, and Transcorp traded 8.9 million stocks.
Investor sentiment was slightly strong yesterday as the market breadth was positive with 13 price gainers and 11 price losers led by AIICO Insurance, which fell by 5.00 per cent to 57 Kobo.
Linkage Assurance depleted by 4.76 per cent to 40 Kobo, Coronation Insurance went down by 4.76 per cent to 40 Kobo, International Breweries depreciated by 2.25 per cent to N4.35, and Transcorp lost 2.19 per cent to trade at N1.34.
On the flip side, NPF Microfinance gained 6.94 per cent to finish at N1.85, Geregu Power appreciated by 6.25 per cent to N323.00, Lasaco Assurance rose by 5.00 per cent to N1.05, Chams grew by 4.17 per cent to 25 Kobo, and Japaul improved by 3.57 per cent to 29 Kobo.
Analysis of the market data indicated losses reported by BUA Cement (1.60 per cent), Nigerian Breweries (0.55 per cent), GTCO (0.25 per cent), and Zenith Bank (0.15 per cent) caused the downfall of the exchange on Friday.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The market capitalisation of the NASD Over-the-Counter (OTC) Securities Exchange recorded a 5.3 per cent appreciation at the final session for the week, Friday, March 24, to close at N1.01 trillion from N959.06 billion on Thursday.
Business Post reports that this is the second time the value of the NASD OTC exchange would cross the N1 trillion mark.
The first was when Access Bank Plc was admitted to the alternative stock exchange in March 2022 and about a year later, it again crossed the same mark after Purple Real Estate Income Plc joined the platform on Thursday and began trading the next day.
Meanwhile, the NASD Unlisted Securities Index (NSI) grew by 0.5 points or 0.07 per cent yesterday to wrap the session at 730.37 points compared with 729.87 points recorded in the previous session.
The day’s single price gainer was Geo-Fluids Plc, which improved its value by 16 Kobo to close at N1.80 per share versus Thursday’s closing price of N1.64 per share.
The volume of securities traded by investors depreciated on Friday by 67.3 per cent to 1.7 million units from 5.2 million units, the value of transactions slumped by 87.2 per cent to N3.1 million from N24.3 million, while the number of deals decreased by 78.6 per cent to three deals from the 14 deals carried out in the previous trading day.
Geo-Fluids Plc remained the most traded stock by volume on a year-to-date basis with 462.1 million units valued at N505.0 million, UBN Property Plc stood in second place with 365.8 units valued at N309.5 million, while IGI Plc was in third place with 71.1 million units valued at N5.1 million.
In terms of the most traded stock by value on a year-to-date basis, VFD Group Plc was on top of the chart for exchanging 7.3 million units worth N1.7 billion, followed by Geo-Fluids Plc with 462.1 million units valued at N505.0 million, and UBN Property Plc with 365.8 million units valued at N309.5 million.
