Economy
Champion Breweries Maintains Upward Trajectory, Rises 59.49% in One Week
By Dipo Olowookere
The positive performance witnessed lately around the shares of Champion Breweries Plc continued last week with a price appreciation of 59.49 per cent. During the five-day trading session, the brewer closed at N3.11 per unit compared with N1.95 per unit it finished the earlier week.
This upward trajectory was sustained on the back of the demand for the shares of the company, following information that its major shareholder, Heineken International, which also controls a larger stake in Nigerian Breweries, increased its control in the firm with the purchase of N5 billion stocks.
This has pushed the appetite for the company’s equities higher because of what Heineken could transform the organisation into.
Also last week, news of the federal government putting down N10 billion for the manufacturer of COVID-19 vaccines in Nigeria triggered buying pressure on Fidson and May & Baker, pushing the value of their respective stock higher by 30.11 per cent and 27.40 per cent to N6.05 per share and N4.65 per share.
In the week, Portland Paints grew by 20.69 per cent to settle at N3.50 per unit, while Julius Berger appreciated by 19.84 per cent to close at N22.65 per unit.
At the close of transactions, a total of 41 equities appreciated in price, lower than 53 equities in the previous week.
Business Post reports that there were price losers in the week; 34, higher than 29 equities in the previous week.
Leading the chart was Veritas Kapital Assurance, which fell by 28.57 per cent to end at 20 kobo per share, Sovereign Trust Insurance went down by 21.21 per cent to settle at 26 kobo per share, Academy Press lost 17.50 per cent to close at 33 kobo per unit, Niger Insurance depreciated by 14.81 per cent to finish at 23 kobo per unit, while Universal Insurance dropped 13.04 per cent to trade at 20 kobo per unit.
When trading activities were wrapped up for the week, the All-Share Index (ASI) and the market capitalisation of the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) appreciated by 3.442 per cent respectively to close the week at 42,412.66 points and N22.187 trillion.
Similarly, all other indices finished higher with the exception of the oil/gas, which depreciated by 7.25 per cent while the ASeM and Growth indices closed flat.
A total of 2.6 billion shares worth N27.9 billion in 31,466 deals were traded by investors on the floor of the exchange, in contrast to a total of 4.3 billion shares valued at N26.0 billion that exchanged hands in 32,849 deals.
The financial services industry led the activity chart with 1.5 billion shares valued at N12.7 billion traded in 14,324, contributing 58.22 per cent and 45.53 per cent to the total equity turnover volume and value respectively.
The conglomerates followed with 363.3 million shares worth N821.4 million in 1,722 deals, while consumer goods recorded a turnover of 220.8 million shares worth N4.0 billion in 5,952 deals.
Trading in Transcorp, Union Bank and Zenith Bank accounted for 633.3 million shares worth N5.6 billion in 3,947 deals, contributing 24.64 per cent and 20.20 per cent to the total equity turnover volume and value respectively.
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
The Debt Management Office (DMO) on Monday allotted bonds worth N929.3 billion to investors from the N1.7 trillion bids it received from subscribers.
The exercise, which took place on Monday, July 20, 2026, was oversubscribed by market participants, reflecting the confidence investors have in the government’s ability to redeem the debt instrument on maturity.
On offer for sale for the July auction was N1.2 trillion worth of the FGN bonds, but the DMO allotted below this, despite receiving bids above the offer.
The papers were offered in 10-year, 15-year, and 20-year tenors, at N400 billion each.
For the decade-old note, investors staked N444.47 billion, but the debt office sold N245.73 billion at an 18.34 per cent coupon rate. For the one and a half-decade-old paper, bids valued at N518.00 billion were received by the DMO, with a non-competitive bid of N50.00 billion, with N302.13 billion allotted to investors at 18.40 per cent, and for the two-decade paper, the DMO got competitive bids of N665.19 billion and N381.46 billion was sold to bondholders at 18.35 per cent.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mr Yemi Cardoso, disclosed that Nigeria’s external reserves had risen to $52.5 billion, enough to finance about nine months of imports.
He disclosed this on Tuesday at the end of the 306th meeting of the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) held in Abuja, where the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) retained the benchmark interest rate at 26.50 per cent as well as the standing facilities corridor at +50/-450 basis points around the MPR.
Similarly, the Cash Reserve Requirement (CRR) was maintained at 45 per cent for Deposit Money Banks, 16 per cent for Merchant Banks, and 75 per cent for non-Treasury Single Account (TSA) public sector deposits.
Speaking on FX developments, the central banker said at the $52 billion level, the country’s external reserves were significantly above the internationally recommended threshold of three months of import cover.
On the Naira exchange rate, Mr Cardoso said the foreign exchange market had deepened and was now operating on a transparent willing-buyer, willing-seller basis.
He said the apex bank remained committed to maintaining a liquid and functional foreign exchange market, adding that daily market turnover sometimes exceeded $1 billion.
According to him, the long-term stability of the naira would depend on key economic fundamentals, including increased oil exports, foreign direct investment, and improved domestic productivity to reduce dependence on imports.
He also added that the MPC welcomed the federal government’s renewed commitment to stronger policy coordination, particularly collaboration between fiscal and monetary authorities, which he said had helped reduce the impact of the Middle East crisis on the Nigerian economy.
Mr Cardoso said members of the committee also commended efforts to improve crude oil production and urged relevant agencies to intensify reforms in other sectors, including solid minerals, to boost government revenue.
On the regulatory forbearance granted to banks during the COVID-19 period, he reiterated that this had been discontinued because it had served its purpose.
According to him, the policy had “outlived its time” and was no longer necessary in assessing the health of the banking sector.
“Forbearance, we felt, had outlived its time. Many of you will recall this is something that came as a result of COVID. And now we are in 2026; we did not see the reason why that should continue to form part of the analysis of the banking system,” he said.
Mr Cardoso explained that banks had begun recalibrating their portfolios following the end of the policy, leading to a temporary reduction in outstanding risk assets.
He, however, assured that the development was part of a transition towards a stronger and more sustainable credit environment.
“It reflects a transition to a more sustainable and better quality credit environment, which is what we all want. We don’t want unanticipated shocks that come in a boom-and-bust fashion,” he said.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The NASD Over-the-Counter (OTC) Securities Exchange extended its recent positive run by 1.17 per cent on Tuesday, July 21, triggered by appreciation seen in four bellwethers.
Leading the pack was FrieslandCampina Wamco Nigeria Plc, which added N12.00 to its value to close at N153.15 per share compared with the previous day’s N141.15 per share. NASD Plc appreciated by N1.90 to N36.00 per unit from N34.10 per unit, Food Concepts Plc improved by 23 Kobo to N2.48 per share from N2.25 per share, and Afriland Properties Plc grew by a marginal 1 Kobo to N15.01 per unit from N15.00 per unit.
As a result, the market capitalisation of the bourse increased by N30.40 billion to N2.637 trillion from Monday’s N2.606 trillion, and the NASD Security Index (NSI) gained 50.70 points to finish at 4,393.97 points, in contrast to the 4,343.27 points it ended a day earlier.
The unlisted securities exchange recorded a price loser yesterday, and it was Geo-Fluids Plc, which shed 1 Kobo to settle at N2.30 per share versus N2.31 per share.
During the trading day, the volume of securities traded by market participants on Tuesday dropped 99.4 per cent to 322,147 units from the previous day’s 52.6 million units, the value of securities dipped by 89.8 per cent to N19.4 million from the preceding session’s N191.2 million, and the number of deals contracted by 3.6 per cent to 27 deals from 28 deals.
Great Nigeria Insurance (GNI) Plc ended the day as the most traded stock by value on a year-to-date basis, with 3.4 billion units traded for N8.4 billion, followed by Infrastructure Credit Guarantee (Infracredit) Plc with 2.3 billion units transacted for N6.5 billion, and Central Securities Clearing System (CSCS) Plc with 75.4 million units exchanged for N5.3 billion.
GNI Plc also closed the day as the most traded stock by volume on a year-to-date basis, with 3.4 billion units worth N8.4 billion, followed by Infracredit Plc with 2.3 billion units valued at N6.5 billion, and Resourcery Plc with 1.1 billion units sold for N415.7 million.
