Economy
Investment in COVID-19 World: What You Must Know and do
On September 9, 2020, Anchoria Asset Management engaged its followers on LinkedIn and provided answers to key financial investment questions, especially, as it relates to investing in a COVID-19 period.
The Financial Fitness Chat session helped participants understand the principle of how, when, where and what to invest depending on individualist approach and capacity.
In a conversational chat tone, Ms Ete Ogun, MD of Anchoria Asset Management Limited, was able to engage participants on the group and provided bespoke responses during the session:
In the light of the COVID-19 pandemic and its effect on the Nigerian business environment, what alternative investments opportunities exists out there, especially for working-class professionals?
The alternatives are investing in growth companies which means you must have research on their products, people and process
I assume this applies to long term investments. Are there any profitable short-term investment alternatives available at this time?
Short term and profitable don’t actually go hand in hand for investment. Short term can have competitive yields. Competitive yields are returns which outperform current short-term government instruments for instance 91 days treasury bills. This is currently at 1.2 per cent. If you get any return above 2.8 per cent to 3 per cent, then it is competitive.
I know firms (including investment brokers like yours) are affected by this pandemic, what structure or structures do you have in place to help safeguard investor funds and help protect us from the effect this pandemic will have on investments?
Thank you for your question. The structures around safeguarding investors’ funds are diversification and asset allocation. Break down your investment objectives into timelines and invest based on those timelines i.e. short needs money market investment, the medium needs money market/ fixed-term investment and equity funds for longer-tenor objectives. I believe that your funds will be very safe.
Another question from my end, do you have investment plans for Nigerians in the diaspora? Must BVN be subscribed to or my non-Nigerian bank can be used for the transactions?
There is the issue of regulation across jurisdictions. However, we do have investment products for Nigerians in Diaspora in the country. You are at liberty to use a local or foreign bank provided that the documentation for each location is supplied appropriately.
Good day team, I so much appreciate this initiative. It is a way out for most of us in this pandemic period. Please I will like to know how I can invest for my kids?
Thank you for your question, sir. You can invest periodically in the mutual funds especially the Equity Fund because it is a good store of money value. It is also favourable because the initial investment is as low as N5000.00.
You can go to www.anchoriaam.com and get further directions or speak to our Client Relations Officer. The reward is immeasurably especially when you start to keep at the investment plan over time
In view of the current economic uncertainty, is it advisable to hold FX denominated investment in order to hedge against inflation or devaluation?
Thank you for your question, sir. This is a tricky question. I will ask if you have dollar obligations? You won’t have any near term need for the funds in foreign currency? If the answer is no, then it’s not a real investment option for you simply because the returns for these can be lower than Naira and any conversion before the expected deregulation can cause a huge drop in your expected return.
How do we then “research on their financial products, people and process”. I mean for laymen like us who don’t have deep knowledge of the sector. Is that an aspect Anchoria can take care of as well?
It is aspect Anchoria can work with you. The goal is to partner to achieve your financial objectives.
Post COVID-19 Era makes my savings in the bank useless; please what investment can help me out? It can be long-term I don’t mind.
You should diversify your investment holdings. For your immediate needs within one year invest in Anchoria Money Market Fund. For your 1- 3 years need, invest in the Anchoria Fixed Income Fund and your bigger longer tenor objectives say 5-7 years invest in Anchoria Equity Fund.
By Dipo Olowookere
The bulls regained control of the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) Limited on Friday after surrendering power to the bears a day earlier as a result of mild selling pressure.
Yesterday, the Nigerian bourse rebounded by 0.54 per cent, mainly due to the gains recorded by First Holdco and others.
Data harvested by Business Post indicated that the industrial goods and energy sectors were flat, while the banking index chalked up 3.13 per cent. The insurance space expanded by 1.08 per cent, and the consumer goods counter rose by 0.21 per cent.
Consequently, the All-Share Index (ASI) went up by 1,316.52 points to 243,462.13 points from 242,145.61 points, and the market capitalisation grew by N850 billion to N157.057 trillion from N156.207 trillion.
The market breadth index was bullish during the last trading session of this week, printing 31 appreciating stocks and 23 depreciating stocks, representing strong investor sentiment.
First Holdco led the advancers’ log after it climbed 9.97 per cent to N95.95, Haldane McCall appreciated by 9.94 per cent to N3.65, LivingTrust Mortgage Bank soared by 9.73 per cent to N3.72, LASACO Assurance jumped by 5.26 per cent to N2.00, and Thomas Wyatt gained 5.10 per cent to quote at N3.09.
On the flip side, Red Star Express declined by 9.50 per cent to N20.00, Omatek slipped by 6.08 per cent to N1.70, C&I Leasing shrank by 5.93 per cent to N5.55, Jaiz Bank crashed by 5.03 per cent to N8.50, and Livestock Feed fell by 3.89 per cent to N8.65.
As for the activity chart, market participants bought and sold 685.9 million equities for N42.7 billion in 44,134 deals on Friday versus the 498.5 million equities worth N34.9 billion traded in 39,484 deals on Thursday, implying a rise in the trading volume, value, and number of deals by 37.59 per cent, 22.35 per cent, and 11.78 per cent, respectively.
Investors’ darling for the day was First Holdco, with a turnover of 225.9 billion units valued at N21.0 billion, Guinea Insurance sold 53.4 million units for N45.2 million, Zenith Bank traded 41.5 million units worth N4.7 billion, Access Holdings exchanged 29.1 million units valued at N720.6 million, and UBA exchanged 27.5 million units for N1.2 billion.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
The Africa Association of Professional Freight Forwarders and Logistics of Nigeria (APFFLON) has appealed to the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) to deepen its sensitisation on the newly introduced Green Tax Surcharge Policy.
The chairman of APFFLON, Mr Akeem Ayobiojo, made this plea on behalf of his colleagues on Tuesday, July 14, 2026, at the Customs House in Abuja, during a stakeholders’ engagement with the agency.
He also called for improvements in the administration of Pre-Arrival Assessment Reports and Post Clearance Audit and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
Mr Ayobiojo stated that freight forwarders were happy to work with the customs, commending the organisation for implementing Chapter 99, describing it as a major relief for manufacturers.
He, however, emphasised that a deeper understanding of the new tax was necessary for his members, saying more predictable procedures would reduce delays and unexpected costs for importers and freight forwarders.
In his remarks, the Comptroller-General of Customs, Mr Adewale Adeniyi, assured manufacturers, freight forwarders and other players in the nation’s trade sector that the NCS would continue to engage them on fiscal policies affecting their businesses, saying sustained dialogue remains key to resolving implementation challenges and improving the country’s trading environment.
He also promised them the service’s resolve to enhance and facilitate trade, acknowledging that, “Your feedback is important because it helps us understand what is happening in the field, and where necessary, we will take your concerns to the Federal Ministry of Finance and other relevant government institutions.”
Speaking about Authorised Economic Operator (AEO), Mr Adeniyi further explained that Nigeria would not lower the standards required under the Authorised Economic Operator Programme as the initiative is guided by global benchmarks established by the World Customs Organisation (WCO).
On her part, the Deputy Comptroller-General of Customs for Tariff and Trade, Ms Caroline Niagwan, clarified that electric vehicles can be imported without payment of duty only by holders of Import Duty Exemption Certificate (IDEC) issued by the Federal Ministry of Finance.
She also urged importers facing classification disputes to take advantage of the Advance Ruling system, noting, “Once an Advance Ruling is issued based on genuine documentation, importers have certainty on classification, valuation or origin before the goods arrive, thereby reducing unnecessary disputes during clearance.”
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Naira appreciated against the US Dollar in the Nigerian Autonomous Foreign Exchange Market (NAFEX) on Friday, July 17, by N1.35 or 0.07 per cent to N1,380.18/$1 from N1,381.53/$1.
It also improved its value against the Pound Sterling in the same market segment during the session by N11.75 to trade at N1,854.42/£1 compared with the previous day’s N1,866.17/£1, and gained N5.69 against the Euro to sell at N1,576.99/€1 versus Thursday’s closing price of N1,582.68/€1.
In the same vein, the Naira chalked up N1 against the United States currency yesterday at the GTBank forex desk to quote at N1,388/$1, in contrast to the preceding day’s N1,389/$1, but closed flat at the black market at N1,405/$1.
The appreciation of the Nigerian currency on Friday came amid fresh signals that Nigeria is building its external reserves for protection against shocks and excessive currency volatility.
The Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mr Yemi Cardoso, said the country’s gross reserves had risen above approximately $52 billion by 15 July, while net reserves had increased from about $3 billion when the current CBN leadership took office to more than $40 billion.
Mr Cardoso linked the increase in reserves to reforms that had restored greater confidence in the foreign exchange system. He also pointed to efforts to diversify foreign currency inflows, including policies designed to increase remittances through official channels.
He noted that monthly diaspora remittances had risen above $600 million and the CBN expected them to reach approximately $1 billion by the end of 2026. The target is part of a broader effort to grow reserves through recurring inflows rather than temporary measures.
The improvement, he argued, had strengthened Nigeria’s capacity to respond when unexpected events threatened market stability.
The apex bank has also launched a new digital platform that will track every foreign exchange transaction involving Bureau De Change (BDC) operators, marking a major step in its efforts to improve transparency and strengthen oversight of Nigeria’s retail forex market.
As for the crypto market, prices were up as markets overlooked geopolitical developments and macro forces weighing on the whole market ecosystem rather than anything crypto-specific, with Cardano (ADA) up by 4.6 per cent to $0.1661.
Bitcoin (BTC) jumped by 1.8 per cent to $63,968.32, Ethereum (ETH) improved by 0.9 per cent to $1,843.88, Dogecoin (DOGE) also rose by 0.9 per cent to $0.0723, Solana (SOL) soared by 0.6 per cent to $74.90, Ripple (XRP) also appreciated by 0.6 per cent to $1.08, and Binance Coin (BNB) advanced by 0.1 per cent to $567.32.
However, TRON (TRX) depreciated by 0.2 per cent to close at $0.3218, while the US Dollar Tether (USDT) and the US Dollar Coin (USDC) remained unchanged at $1.00 each.
