Economy
Brent Plunges 4% as US President Tests Positive for COVID-19
By Adedapo Adesanya
Brent crude oil futures fell by nearly 5 per cent on Friday after it was announced that United States President, Mr Donald Trump, tested positive for the coronavirus.
The international crude benchmark went below $40 after it depreciated by $1.83 or 4.47 per cent to $39.10 per barrel while the United States West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude went down 4.31 per cent or $1.67 to $37.05 barrel.
The news that the US President and First Lady, Mrs Melania Trump, tested positive for the deadly virus created a new round of market uncertainty and reinforces fears of another wave of the virus, which will harm the economy and projected energy demand. It triggered a volatile move across the markets and put COVID-19 back into the spotlight for investors.
The announcement is also expected to heighten existing political uncertainty around the US election on November 3, another major risk event for markets.
Adding to Friday’s bearish news, the US Congress failed to agree on a fiscal stimulus package designed to save the economy by speeding along with the recovery. The only development in this direction was the House of Representatives approving a Democrat-proposed bill for an additional $2.2 trillion in stimulus, but analysts note that this might fail at the Senate.
Meanwhile, new data from the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) showed that rising global output threatens to destroy the weak price recovery.
OPEC’s oil production rose in September, by 160,000 barrels per day. The increase came from Libya and Iran, which are both exempt from the production-cutting deal that OPEC agreed on earlier this year to prop up prices.
Libya, which last month restarted production at three oil export terminals and several fields, is now pumping 270,000 barrels per day. Analysts note that there will be a gradual ramp-up of supply to 650,000 barrels a day in early 2021, a level below pre-crisis levels of 1.2 million barrels a day.
OPEC export data was also bearish: according to the latest figures, the cartel exported 18.2 million barrels per day last month, versus 17.53 million barrels a day in August. OPEC+ exported 22.84 million barrels per day in September, up from 22.11 million barrels per day in August.
Also, depressing prices are new COVID-19 cases rising fast in Europe, the US, and India. The global total passed 34 million this week, up by a million from a week earlier. The death toll from the disease passed the 1-million mark this week as well.
Investors in oil markets have been keeping a close watch on the disease’s expansion, which has worsened in parts of Europe because it has a direct effect on the commodity if economies begin to slow down.
Economy
Champion Breweries Lists Additional Shares on Stock Exchange
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
Additional shares of Champion Breweries Plc have been listed on the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) Limited.
A circular from the NGX Regulation Limited confirmed this development on Wednesday, April 15, 2026.
The new stocks of the brewery company came from its hybrid offer comprising rights issue and offer for subscription.
Through the two exercises, Champion Breweries issued fresh 2,375,615,342 ordinary shares of 50 Kobo each to subscribers, which were brought to the stock exchange for listing.
Business Post reports that 931,712,324 units arose from the rights issue of 994,221,766 ordinary shares of 50 Kobo each at N16.00 per unit, indicating a subscription rate of 93.71 per cent; and 1,443,903,018 units from the offer for subscription of 2,625,000,000 ordinary shares of 50 Kobo each at N16.00 per unit, reflecting a subscription rate of 55.01 per cent.
The listing of the new shares of the organisation has increased the total issued and fully paid-up shares to 11,323,611,234 ordinary shares of 50 Kobo each from 8,947,995,892 ordinary shares of 50 Kobo each.
“With this listing of the additional 2,375,615,342 ordinary shares of 50 Kobo each, the total issued and fully paid-up shares of Champion Breweries Plc have now increased from 8,947,995,892 to 11,323,611,234 ordinary shares of 50 Kobo each,” a part of the circular signed by the Head of Issuer Regulation Department of NGX RegCo, Mr Godstime Iwenekhai, stated.
Economy
Nigeria’s Finance Minister Rules Out Seeking IMF Loan
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Minister of Finance, Mr Wale Edun, says Nigeria has no immediate plans to approach the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for financial assistance.
Mr Edun made this known at the African Finance Ministers’ briefing during the IMF and World Bank Annual Meetings on Thursday in Washington, D.C. United States.
He said reliance on ongoing domestic economic reforms was yielding positive results.
According to him, Nigeria’s reforms over the past two years have restored policy credibility and strengthened resilience against global economic shocks affecting many African economies, adding that the country has prioritised market-based adjustments, avoiding administrative controls, particularly in foreign exchange and petroleum pricing mechanisms.
Mr Edun reaffirmed that Nigeria would continue to rely on internal policy measures rather than seeking multilateral lending support at this time.
However, he urged faster and more coordinated financial assistance for African countries amid discussions on a proposed $50 billion global support package.
The Minister said Nigeria had built buffers through reforms, but noted that several African nations remained highly exposed and required urgent external financial support.
He said Nigeria’s reliance on market mechanisms had enabled smoother economic adjustments, reduced disruptions, and sustained the country’s macroeconomic trajectory amid global uncertainties.
However, on Monday, the |Minister said Nigeria would seek stronger international financial support at this week’s IMF-World Bank Spring Meetings as the Iran war lifts fuel costs at home and complicates reforms.
He said ahead of the meeting that surging crude prices had some clear benefits for the country, which is Africa’s top oil producer, boosting foreign exchange earnings.
“But the shock comes at a critical transition point, intensifying inflationary pressures and raising living costs for households,” he added.
Economy
NASD Exchange Depreciates 0.29%
By Adedapo Adesanya
The NASD Over-the-Counter (OTC) Securities Exchange fell by 0.29 per cent on Thursday, April 16, after two securities plunged at the close of business, offsetting the gains recorded by three securities.
According to data, the NASD Unlisted Security Index (NSI) went down by 11.11 points to close at 3,862.98 points compared with the previous day’s 3,874.09 points, and the market capitalisation shrank by N6.64 billion to close at N2.311 trillion compared with the previous day’s N2.317 trillion.
Yesterday, FrieslandCampina Wamco Nigeria Plc declined by N1.36 to trade at N97.64 per share versus Wednesday’s closing price of N99.00 per share, and Central Securities Clearing System (CSCS) Plc slipped by N1.16 to sell at N58.00 per unit compared with the preceding day’s N59.16 per unit.
However, NASD Plc appreciated by N1.14 to N38.50 per share from N37.36 per share, UBN Property Plc improved its share price by 20 Kobo to close at N2.18 per unit versus N1.98 per unit, and Lighthouse Financials Plc added 6 Kobo to sell at 72 Kobo per share, in contrast to the 66 Kobo per share it was traded at midweek.
Trading data showed that the value of securities surged by 124.9 per cent to N64.9 million from N28.9 million, the volume of securities increased by 18.4 per cent to 597,775 units from 505,075 units, and the number of deals rose by 2.5 per cent to 41 deals from 40 deals.
At the close of business, Great Nigeria Insurance (GNI) Plc remained the most traded stock by value on a year-to-date basis with 3.4 billion units valued at N8.4 billion, followed by CSCS Plc with 58.8 million units exchanged for N3.9 billion, and Okitipupa Plc with 27.8 million units traded for N1.9 billion.
GNI Plc was also the most traded stock by volume on a year-to-date basis with 3.4 billion units worth N8.4 billion, trailed by Resourcery Plc with 1.1 billion units sold for N415.7 million, and Infrastructure Guarantee Credit Plc with 400 million units transacted for N1.2 billion.
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