Economy
How Investors Traded N13.2bn Equities in Three Days to New Year
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
The last three trading sessions of 2021 on the floor of the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) Limited were mixed as the market closed positive for two days and negative for a day.
The exchange operated for only three days as a result of the public holidays observed last Monday and Tuesday for the Christmas and Boxing Days.
But despite this, the market closed higher by 1.07 per cent for the week, with the All-Share Index (ASI) closing at 42,716.44 points and the market capitalisation finishing at N22.297 trillion.
Similarly, all other indices finished higher with the exception of the main board, energy and industrial goods indices, which depreciated by 0.84 per cent, 1.09 per cent and 3.91 per cent respectively while the ASeM index closed flat.
In the week, a total turnover of 995.4 million shares worth N13.2 billion in 10,264 deals was recorded as against the 965.1 million shares valued at N12.5 billion transacted in 14,802 deals the preceding week.
Financial stocks led the activity chart with 844.0 million units worth N5.885 billion traded in 5,925 deals, contributing 84.79 per cent and 44.55 per cent to the total equity turnover volume and value respectively.
Conglomerates equities followed with 46.8 million units worth N166.7 million in 368 deals, while construction/real estate shares recorded a turnover of 27.3 million units valued at N107.5 million carried out in 315 deals.
A further breakdown showed that Jaiz Bank, FBN Holdings and Zenith Bank accounted for 348.9 million shares worth N 3.4 billion in 1,552 deals, contributing 35.05 per cent and 25.88 per cent to the total equity turnover volume and value respectively.
A total of 37 equities appreciated in price during the week, higher than 33 equities in the previous week, with NEM Insurance gaining 85.95 per cent to close at N4.50.
Regency Assurance grew by 18.60 per cent to 51 kobo, Sovereign Trust Insurance rose by 15.38 per cent to 30 kobo, Coronation Insurance appreciated by 14.29 per cent to 56 kobo, while Royal Exchange also increased by 14.29 per cent to 88 kobo.
However, the market closed the week with 21 depreciating stocks, lower than 25 depreciating stocks of the previous week, with May & Baker losing 10.86 per cent to close at N4.02.
BUA Cement lost 10.00 per cent to sell for N67.05, Jaiz Bank fell by 9.68 per cent to 56 kobo, PZ Cussons declined by 8.96 per cent to N6.10, while Wema Bank depreciated by 6.49 per cent to 72 kobo.
In the week, a total of 99 shares remained unchanged, similar to 99 shares of the previous week.
By Adedapo Adesanya
About 143 companies that successfully passed the technical and prequalification stages of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission’s (NUPRC) 2025 Licensing Round will, today, compete for 50 oil and gas blocks at the commercial bid conference in Abuja, the final stage in the allocation process for the assets.
The commission said only the prequalified companies have been invited to attend the event, which will hold at the Conference Centre of the Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja, stressing that participation is strictly by invitation.
The commercial bid conference will determine the successful bidders for oil and gas assets located across Nigeria’s producing and frontier basins.
The 50 blocks comprise 16 onshore blocks and 18 shallow water blocks in the Niger Delta, one deep offshore block, three onshore blocks in the Benin Basin, four in the Anambra Basin, four in the Chad Basin, and four in the Benue Trough.
According to the commission, the winning bids will be determined through a transparent evaluation process based on clearly defined commercial parameters. These include the signature bonus offered by bidders, the proposed work programme commitment and the level of performance security provided. The final selection will be based on a weighted technical and commercial score.
The licensing round is being conducted under the provisions of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) 2021, which requires a transparent and competitive process for the award of petroleum assets.
NUPRC had announced the commencement of the 2025 Licensing Round on November 11, 2025, before opening the online bid portal on December 1, 2025, to enable interested companies to register and participate in the exercise.
To ensure prospective investors fully understood the requirements, the commission organised a pre-bid conference on January 14, 2026, at Eko Hotels and Suites, Lagos. The event provided detailed explanations on the licensing guidelines and bidding procedures to registered participants and other stakeholders.
Registration and submission of prequalification documents closed on February 27, 2026, while the prequalification evaluation was completed on March 16, 2026.
NUPRC disclosed that 286 companies initially submitted applications for prequalification.
Following the evaluation process, 196 companies were cleared to participate in the technical and commercial bid stages.
The prequalified 143 companies eventually submitted a total of 200 bids for the available oil and gas blocks. These companies are now set to compete at the commercial bid conference, where the financial offers will be opened and evaluated to determine the eventual winners.
The licensing round is expected to attract fresh investment into Nigeria’s upstream petroleum sector, boost exploration activities across both producing and frontier basins, increase crude oil and gas reserves, and support the country’s drive to grow production and government revenue.
It also underscores the regulator’s commitment to implementing a transparent, competitive and investor-friendly licensing regime under the Petroleum Industry Act.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has retained all key monetary policy parameters following the conclusion of its two-day meeting on July 21, 2026, on Tuesday, maintaining its tight monetary policy stance to curb inflation and support macroeconomic stability.
According to the Governor of the apex bank, Mr Yemi Cardoso, who chaired the committee, the Monetary Policy Rate (MPR), which serves as the benchmark interest rate, remains at 26.50 per cent. The MPC also retained the asymmetric corridor around the MPR at +50 basis points and -450 basis points.
In addition, the Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR) for commercial banks was left unchanged at 45.00 per cent, while the CRR for merchant banks remains at 16.00 per cent. The committee also retained the CRR on non-Treasury Single Account (Non-TSA) public sector deposits at 75.00 per cent, with the liquidity ratio at 30.00 per cent.
The decision reflects the apex bank’s continued commitment to containing inflationary pressures through a restrictive monetary policy while safeguarding the resilience of Nigeria’s financial system amid ongoing macroeconomic adjustments.
By keeping all policy tools unchanged, the MPC signalled its intention to continue managing excess liquidity in the banking sector and maintain stability in financial markets.
The move is also expected to provide greater policy certainty for investors and businesses monitoring the country’s monetary policy direction.
The latest decision also means borrowing costs are likely to remain elevated in the near term as the central bank continues to prioritise price stability over monetary easing.
Analysts had expected the CBN committee to retain the rate after Nigeria’s headline inflation came in at 15.91 per cent as of June 2026, marking a slight decline from 15.93 per cent in May.
However, even as overall price growth has moderated significantly compared to previous periods, food inflation remains a persistent challenge, accelerating to 17.52 per cent in June.
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
Shareholders of Unilever Nigeria Plc will receive an interim dividend of N2 per share, the board of the organisation has said.
The cash reward was announced after the company released its financial statements for the first half of the year ended June 30, 2026.
The payment will be made on Friday, August 14, 2026, only to investors whose names appear on the Register of Members at the close of business on Friday, July 31, 2026.
A quick look at the financial performance of the firm in the first six months of this year showed that revenue improved by 22.22 per cent to N119.9 billion from the N98.1 billion achieved in the corresponding period of last year.
A rise in earnings also resulted in a 16.43 per cent surge in cost of sales, though this did not shrink the gross profit, which rose by 29.93 per cent to N54.7 billion from N42.1 billion. The operating profit stood at N24.4 billion in the period under review, higher than N18.8 billion in the same period of 2025, while the net finance income contracted by 9.43 per cent to N4.8 billion from N5.3 billion due to elevated borrowing costs.
Business Post reports that despite higher taxes paid in the first six months of 2026, the net profit grew by 8.33 per cent to N15.6 billion from N14.4 billion, enabling the board to pass on value to shareholders for their faith in the firm.
