Economy
How Investors Pocketed Almost N500bn in 2 Days From Stock Trading
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
The rain of Naira fell on investors at the local bourse on Monday and Tuesday as they almost became N500 billion richer from stock trading ahead of the Sallah celebrations.
They were able to increase the value of their portfolios because of the effect of the policy direction of the administration of President Bola Tinubu.
The current government has not hidden its desire to improve the country’s economy, and the equity segment of the capital market is already buzzing.
On Tuesday, transactions at the floor of Nigerian Exchange (NGX) Limited closed in positive territory as the All-Share Index (ASI) crossed the 60,000 level for the first time in over a decade (March 5, 2008).
This was even as Nigerian shares climbed to a 17-year high due to price appreciation in the shares of GTCO (+5.20 per cent), Access Holdings (+3.61 per cent) and Japaul (+8.47 per cent).
As a result, the benchmark index rose by 1.30 per cent to 60,109.14 points, while market capitalisation, which opened at N32.309 trillion, grew by N421 billion to close at N32.729 trillion.
Coupled with Monday’s N72 billion gain, investors have now pocketed N493 billion since the market resumed trading this week. Thus, the market’s year-to-date (YTD) return rose to +17.28 per cent.
From a sectoral perspective, gains in the Banking (+3.5%), Oil and Gas (+3.21 per cent), Consumer Goods (+0.40 per cent), Industrial Goods (+0.17 per cent), and Insurance (+0.15 per cent) indices reflected the overall market performance.
The total volume of stocks traded grew by 38.2 per cent to 763.69 million units, valued at N12.533 billion, which exchanged hands in 9,463 deals as against 552.69 million units, valued at N13.06 billion and exchanged in 8,052 deals in the previous trading session.
Access Holdings was the most traded stock, trading about 111.66 million units worth N1.74 billion, GTCO followed with the sale of 78.98 million units valued at N2.69 billion, while UBA transacted 72.29 million units valued at N87.82 billion.
As measured by market breadth, market sentiment was positive as 51 securities appreciated in value while 13 others depreciated.
Afromedia led the gainers’ chart with 10 per cent to close at 22 Kobo. Courtville was next with 10 per cent to close at 66 Kobo, Ikeja Hotel advanced by 10 per cent to close at N3.63, Omatek added 10 per cent to close at 33 Kobo, while Transcorp Hotels garnered 9.97 per cent to close at N21.29.
Red Star Express led the losers’ chart with 10 per cent to close at N3.15 per share. C&I leasing was next with 9.79 per cent to close at N3.50, Morison dropped 9.22 per cent to close at N1.97, Sovereign Insurance lost 7.41 per cent to close at 50 Kobo while May & Baker fell by 6.42 per cent to close at N5.10.
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
Nigeria slightly surpassed its quota set by the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) in July 2026.
In the month under review, the country produced about 1.57 million barrels of crude oil per day.
It was the third consecutive month Africa’s largest oil-producing nation was meeting its monthly quota, set to stabilise the price of the commodity on the global market by the oil cartel.
Data released by the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) on Wednesday showed that the 1.5 million barrels per day ceiling for Nigeria was surpassed last month.
The agency disclosed in a statement today that the country produced 1.505mbpd of crude oil and 0.17mbpd of condensate, bringing the combined daily production to 1.67mbpd.
In the month under review, the daily peak production of crude oil and condensate was 1.78mbpd, while the lowest daily production was 1.57mbpd.
Although Nigeria met its OPEC quota in the month of July, the statistics show that on a month-on-month basis, production fell by 4 per cent.
This was attributed to the decline in production due to operational challenges experienced at the Erha and Akpo fields, which impacted crude oil output during the period under review.
These disruptions constrained production volumes and contributed significantly to the overall reduction in national crude oil output.
Despite the challenges, production operations across most other producing assets remained relatively stable, with operators implementing measures aimed at maintaining production efficiency and minimising the impact of operational constraints, NUPRC stated.
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
The over 9 billion shares of Lasaco Assurance Plc issued to shareholders of the company via a rights issue have been listed on the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) Limited.
The equities were brought to Customs Street on Wednesday by the organisation, increasing its total issued and fully paid-up share capital.
Lasaco Assurance, which scaled the recapitalisation hurdle of the National Insurance Commission (NAICOM) in July 2026, raised fresh capital from the capital market to shore up its capital base.
The underwriting firm got about N18.5 billion from the rights issue, which involved the issuance of 9,236,321,546 ordinary shares at a unit price of N2.00.
The exercise was on the basis of five new ordinary shares for every existing six ordinary shares held as of the close of business on Friday, February 20, 2026.
Confirming the listing of the additional stocks of Lasaco Assurance today, the Head of Issuer Regulation Department of NGX RegCo, Mr Godstime Iwenekhai, announced in a circular that, “Trading licence holders are hereby notified that an additional 9,236,321,546 ordinary shares of 50 Kobo each of Lasaco Assurance Plc were today, Wednesday, August 12, 2026, listed on the daily official list of Nigerian Exchange Limited.
“The additional shares arose from the company’s rights issue of 9,236,321,546 ordinary shares of 50 Kobo each at N2.00 per share on the basis of five new ordinary shares for every existing six ordinary shares held as of the close of business on Friday, February 20, 2026.
“With the listing of the additional 9,236,321,546 ordinary shares, the total issued and fully paid-up share capital of Lasaco Assurance Plc has now increased from 11,083,585,855 to 20,319,907,401 ordinary shares of 50 Kobo each.”
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Nigerian Insurers Association (NIA) has said the successful recapitalisation of the insurance industry will strengthen the sector’s ability to support financial stability and economic growth.
NIA Chairman, Mrs Ebelechukwu Nwachukwu, said a well-capitalised insurance industry would be better positioned to meet its obligations promptly, underwrite complex and large-scale risks and serve as a dependable pillar of the Nigerian economy.
She made the remarks while commending the National Insurance Commission (NAICOM) for its structured implementation of the new minimum capital requirements under the Nigerian Insurance Industry Reform Act (NIIRA) 2025.
Mrs Nwachukwu said NAICOM’s clear guidelines, systematic verification process, defined timelines and rigorous supervision had provided operators with a credible framework for navigating the recapitalisation exercise.
She described the outcome as a major milestone for the industry and congratulated the 43 insurance and reinsurance companies that have successfully met the prescribed minimum capital requirements.
According to her, the exercise represents “a major win not just for regulators and operators, but for policyholders, investors and the wider Nigerian economy.”
Mrs Nwachukwu said the association would continue to work with NAICOM and other stakeholders to consolidate the gains of the exercise, with emphasis on sustainable industry growth, stronger market conduct and improved consumer confidence.
The official also expressed solidarity with the eight companies still undergoing final verification and regulatory review, urging them to remain confident as NAICOM completes the process within the 14-day review period.
The NIA chairman assured policyholders and the wider business community that the insurance industry would emerge from the recapitalisation exercise stronger, more resilient and better positioned to contribute to Nigeria’s economic development.
