Economy
Equities Attract N30.495bn in One Week
By Dipo Olowookere
Investors cut down their exposure to equities last week for investments in low-risk assets like treasury bills and bonds in the money market.
Data from the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) Limited showed that 1.703 billion shares worth N30.495 billion exchanged hands in 37,765 deals in the five-day trading week versus the 2.189 billion shares worth N31.303 billion transacted a week earlier in 39,362 deals.
This happened as the bourse suffered a week-on-week loss of 0.08 per cent, bringing down the All-Share Index (ASI) and the market capitalisation to 99,221.14 points and N56.128 trillion, respectively.
Also, all other indices finished lower except the Main Board, insurance and consumer goods indices, which gained 0.08 per cent, 0.84 per cent and 0.33 per cent, respectively, while the ASeM, industrial goods and sovereign bond indices closed flat.
It was observed that the financial services industry dominated the activity chart in the week with 1.222 billion stocks valued at N15.876 billion in 18,782 deals, contributing 71.77 per cent and 52.06 per cent to the total trading volume and value apiece.
It was followed by the energy space with 171.174 million equities worth N3.549 billion in 3,699 deals and the consumer goods sector with 116.145 million shares worth N4.434 billion in 4,163 deals.
Fidelity Bank, Access Holdings, and Veritas Kapital Assurance accounted for 583.809 million shares worth N5.740 billion in 4,733 deals, contributing 34.28 per cent and 18.82 per cent to the total trading volume and value, respectively.
Business Post reports that 35 equities appreciated last week versus 45 equities in the previous week, 37 stocks depreciated versus 25 stocks a week earlier, and 82 shares closed flat versus 84 stocks in the preceding week.
RT Briscoe topped the gainers’ table after chalking up 25.00 per cent to finish at 60 Kobo, Oando rose by 23.73 per cent to N14.60, Eterna expanded by 22.45 per cent to N15.00, Deap Capital grew by 20.00 per cent to 48 Kobo, and Red Star Express jumped by 15.73 per cent to N3.90.
On the flip side, Unity Bank declined by 21.57 per cent to N1.20, Sovereign Trust Insurance declined by 13.64 per cent to 38 Kobo, Transcorp lost 11.21 per cent to N10.30, Sunu Assurances weakened by 10.85 per cent to N1.15, and Prestige Assurance slipped by 10.71 per cent to 50 Kobo.
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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