Economy
Investor Participation Central to Growth of Any Economy—Onyema
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
The need to increase the level of participation of retail investors in the capital market to achieve economic development has been stressed by the CEO of the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), Mr Oscar Onyema.
According to Mr Onyema, retail investment opportunities in the capital market must be made available to investors and should be accessible to them so as to grow the economy.
At the inaugural edition of the retail investors’ webinar organised by the NSE on Monday, the capital market guru said a number of products tailored to meet the financial objectives of retail investors were designed by the exchange as part of its determination to develop the market and strengthen investor confidence.
He listed some of the product offerings that can be accessed conveniently via electronic platforms as equities, bonds, ETFs and other collective investment schemes.
“We will continue to take advantage of the vast opportunities to equip existing and potential investors with the necessary skills to effectively manage and grow the financial resources at their disposal,” Mr Onyema assured.
Business Post gathered the exchange has shown its clear determination to ensure that investors have a better understanding and appreciation of investment products offered in the Nigerian capital market in its efforts to become Africa’s preferred exchange hub.
The upswing in market activities in the second quarter of 2020 is a testament to the resilience of the market as a result of concerted efforts of the bourse.
As at the end of August 2020, the All Share Index (ASI) had recorded an 18.9 per cent increase from its position at the end of March 2020.
In addition, the market also witnessed a growth in the percentage value of equity transactions contributed by retail investors, currently at 29 per cent from the 21.8 per cent recorded in 2018 and 24.72 per cent recorded in 2019.
For the Head of Market Services at the NSE, Mr Olufemi Balogun, retail investors can make good use of market data to grow their wealth and recently, the NSE upgraded its X-DataPortal to help users to get quality real-time and reference data reports for analysis, research and reporting purposes.
Also speaking, the Managing Director of the Nigerian International Securities Limited (NISL), Mr Laolu Martins, commended the NSE for consistently pioneering far-reaching innovations within the Nigerian capital market, positively driving market integrity, boosting both investor confidence and market participation.
He highlighted the efforts of the NISL to create wealth for investors via an appropriate mix of securities using well spelt out market research to help investors meet their financial objectives.
In doing so, he provided an analysis of the investment instruments available on NSE including equities, bonds, REITS, Closed-Ended Funds, ETFs, etc.
The webinar yesterday was organised by the NSE in collaboration with NISL and support from the Chartered Institute of Stockbrokers (CIS) and the Association of Securities Dealing Houses of Nigeria (ASHON).
The event was themed Capital Market Investing in a Digital Age and had several people from the investment community, media and others in attendance.
Economy
NBA Demands Suspension of Controversial Tax Laws
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
The federal government has been asked by the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) to suspend the implementation of the controversial tax laws.
In a reaction to the tax reform acts, the president of the group, Mr Afam Osigwe (SAN), the suspension of the laws would allow for a proper investigation into allegations of alterations in the gazetted and harmonised copies.
A member of the House of Representatives, Mr Abdussamad Dasuki, alleged that some parts of the laws passed by the parliament were different from the gazetted copy.
To address the issues raised, the NBA said it is “imperative that a comprehensive, open, and transparent investigation be conducted to clarify the circumstances surrounding the enactment of the laws and to restore public confidence in the legislative process.”
“Until these issues are fully examined and resolved, all plans for the implementation of the Tax Reform Acts should be immediately suspended,” the association declared.
It noted that the controversies “raise grave concerns about the integrity, transparency, and credibility of Nigeria’s legislative process.”
“These developments strike at the very heart of constitutional governance and call into question the procedural sanctity that must attend lawmaking in a democratic society,” it noted.
“Legal and policy uncertainty of this magnitude has far-reaching consequences. It unsettles the business environment, erodes investor confidence, and creates unpredictability for individuals, businesses, and institutions required to comply with the law. Such uncertainty is inimical to economic stability and should have no place in a system governed by the rule of law.
“Nigeria’s constitutional democracy demands that laws, especially those with profound economic and social implications, emerge from processes that are transparent, accountable, and beyond reproach. Anything short of this undermines public trust and weakens the foundation upon which lawful governance rests.
“We therefore call on all relevant authorities to act swiftly and responsibly in addressing this controversy, in the overriding interest of constitutional order, economic stability, and the preservation of the rule of law,” the organisation stated.
Economy
MRS Oil, Two Others Raise NASD Bourse Higher by 0.52%
By Adedapo Adesanya
Demand for hot stocks, including MRS Oil Plc, buoyed the NASD Over-the-Counter (OTC) Securities Exchange by 0.52 per cent on Tuesday, December 23.
The energy company was one of the three price gainers for the session as it chalked up N19.69 to sell at N216.59 per share versus the previous day’s value of N196.90 per share.
Further, FrieslandCampina Wamco Nigeria Plc gained N2.95 to close at N56.75 per unit versus N53.80 per unit and Golden Capital Plc appreciated by 84 Kobo to N9.29 per share from Monday’s N8.45 per share.
Consequently, the market capitalisation went up by N10.95 billion to N2.125 trillion from N2.125 trillion and the NASD Unlisted Security Index (NSI) rose by 18.31 points to 3,570.37 points from 3,552.06 points.
Yesterday, the NASD bourse recorded a price loser, the Central Securities Clearing System Plc (CSCS), which gave up 17 Kobo to close at N33.70 per unit against the previous trading value of N33.87 per unit.
The volume of securities traded at the session went down by 97.6 per cent to 297,902 units from the previous day’s 12.6 million units, the value of securities decreased by 98.5 per cent to N10.5 million from N713.6 million, and the number of deals remained flat at 32 deals.
By value, Infrastructure Credit Guarantee Company (InfraCredit) Plc ended as the most actively traded stock on a year-to-date basis with 5.8 billion units exchanged for N16.4 billion. This was followed by Okitipupa Plc, which traded 178.9 million units valued at N9.5 billion, and MRS Oil Plc with 36.1 million units worth N4.9 billion.
In terms of volume, also on a year-to-date basis, InfraCredit Plc led the chart with a turnover of 5.8 billion units traded for N16.4 billion. Industrial and General Insurance (IGI) Plc ranked second with 1.2 billion units sold for N420.7 million, while Impresit Bakolori Plc followed with the sale of 536.9 million units valued at N524.9 million.
Economy
NGX All-Share Index Soars to 153,354.13 points
By Dipo Olowookere
It was another bullish trading session for the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) Limited as it closed higher by 0.59 per cent on Tuesday.
The market further rallied due to continued interest in large and mid-cap stocks on the exchange by investors rebalancing their portfolios for the year-end.
Yesterday, Aluminium Extrusion sustained its upward trajectory after it further appreciated by 9.96 per cent to N14.90, as Austin Laz gained 9.81 per cent to close at N2.91, Custodian Investment improved by 9.69 per cent to N38.50, and First Holdco soared by 9.35 per cent to N50.30.
Conversely, Royal Exchange declined by 7.22 per cent to N1.80, Champion Breweries shrank by 6.57 per cent to N15.65, NASCON lost 5.36 per cent to trade at N105.05, Sovereign Trust Insurance depreciated by 5.28 per cent to N3.77, and Japaul went down by 4.51 per cent to N2.33.
At the close of business, 29 shares ended on the gainers’ table and 27 shares finished on the losers’ log, representing a positive market breadth index and bullish investor sentiment.
This raised the All-Share Index (ASI) by 895.06 points to 153,354.13 points from 152,459.07 points and lifted the market capitalisation by N579 billion to N97.772 trillion from the previous day’s N97.193 trillion.
VFD Group finished the day as the busiest stock after it recorded a turnover of 192.0 million units worth N2.1 billion, GTCO exchanged 63.5 million units valued at N5.6 billion, Access Holdings traded 49.8 million units for N1.0 billion, First Holdco sold 45.8 million units valued at N2.3 billion, and Secure Electronic Technology transacted 38.3 million units worth N28.4 million.
In all, market participants bought and sold 677.4 million units valued at N20.8 billion in 27,589 deals compared with the 451.5 million units worth N13.0 billion traded in 33,327 deals on Monday, showing an improvement in the trading volume and value by 50.03 per cent and 60.00 per cent apiece, and a shortfall in the number of deals by 17.22 per cent.
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