Economy
European Stocks Succumb to Selling Pressure
By Investors Hub
European stocks succumbed to selling pressure on Monday as Germany faced a political crisis over immigration and trade worries persisted ahead of a July 6th deadline when the United States is due to impose tariffs on Chinese exports. Weak manufacturing data from China, Europe and the U.K. has also weighed on the markets.
While the German DAX Index has fallen by 0.4 percent, the U.K.?s FTSE 100 Index and the French CAC 40 Index are both down by 0.8 percent.
Nestle shares are marginally lower after U.S. activist investor Daniel Loeb ratcheted up pressure on the Swiss food giant to raise its financial returns and sell its stake in L’Oréal SA.
Cement giant LafargeHolcim has also moved to the downside. The company said it has terminated the liquidity enhancement agreement with Exane S.A. for its listing on Euronext Paris as of June 30, 2018.
Recordati shares have slumped after a consortium of investment funds led by private-equity firm CVC Capital Partners agreed to buy a stake in the Italian pharmaceutical company at a discount.
Airbus shares have declined in Paris. A report from Bloomberg said the global aerospace major will miss its delivery target for Pratt & Whitney-powered A320neo narrow-body jets this year after problems with the engines caused an almost three-month halt in shipments.
Germany’s ThyssenKrupp has also moved lower after signing a definitive agreement with Tata Steel to create a new company by combining their European steel businesses in a 50/50 joint venture.
On the other hand, software firm Micro Focus has jumped in London after announcing the sale of its SUSE business segment to Blitz 18-679 GmbH.
Vedanta Resources has also surged higher after chairman Anil Agarwal’s family trust agreed to buy the remaining minority stake in the company in a deal that values the mining conglomerate at 2.3 billion pounds.
In economic news, Eurozone factory activity grew at the weakest pace in more than a year in June, final data from IHS Markit showed.
The factory Purchasing Managers’ Index fell to an 18-month low of 54.9 in June from 55.5 in May. This was slightly below the flash estimate of 55.0.
Separately, survey results from IHS Markit showed that U.K. manufacturing sector growth remained subdued in June.
The IHS Markit/Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply factory Purchasing Managers’ Index rose slightly to 54.4 in June from revised 54.3 in May. The score was almost four points below the 51-month high reached in November 2017.
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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