Economy
Investors Transact 3.860 billion Stocks Worth N128.581bn in Five Days
By Dipo Olowookere
Last week, on the floor of the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) Limited, investors transacted 3.860 billion stocks worth N128.581 billion in 240,463 deals versus the 3.087 billion stocks valued at N81.505 billion traded in 222,185 deals in the preceding week.
In the five-day trading week, financial equities led the activity chart with 2.188 billion units valued at N50.459 billion in 94,005 deals, contributing 56.68 per cent and 39.24 per cent to the total trading volume and value, respectively.
Services stocks followed with 466.771 million units worth N4.495 billion in 18,526 deals, and ICT shares sold 377.800 million units for N9.049 billion in 25,653 deals.
Chams, Access Holdings, and Universal Insurance were the most active in the week with 664.942 million units valued at N6.801 billion in 15,161 deals, contributing 17.23 per cent and 5.29 per cent to the total trading volume and value apiece.
Business Post reports that 71 equities appreciated during the week versus 44 equities in the previous week, as 35 stocks depreciated compared with 49 stocks a week earlier, while 42 shares closed flat versus 55 shares in the preceding week.
RT Briscoe was the biggest price gainer with a price appreciation of 60.69 per cent to close at N12.63, Zichis gained 60.38 per cent to trade at N6.72, Abbey Mortgage Bank chalked up 59.04 per cent to settle at N14.95, Union Dicon expanded by 49.14 per cent to N13.05, and Austin Laz grew by 38.46 per cent to N5.40.
Conversely, Deap Capital was the biggest price loser after giving up 27.37 per cent to quote at N6.82, Union Homes REIT lost 26.99 per cent to finish at N69.25, Red Star Express declined by 17.55 per cent to N17.15, UPDC REIT shrank by 12.29 per cent to N7.85, and Cornerstone Insurance tumbled by 12.24 per cent to N5.45.
From the above data, the week was under buying pressure, which raised the All-Share Index (ASI) and the market capitalisation by 3.84 per cent to 171,727.49 points and N110.235 trillion, respectively.
Similarly, all other indices finished higher with the exception of the insurance index, which depreciated by 2.33 per cent due to sell-offs.
By Adedapo Adesanya
Aradel Holdings Plc is set to commence production of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) at its modular refinery in 2027, following the removal of fuel subsidies and the deregulation of the downstream petroleum market.
According to Aradel’s general manager of refinery, Mr Temitayo Ogunbanjo, the removal of government control over fuel prices had created an opportunity for the company to begin manufacturing petrol.
Speaking on the sidelines of a conference in Abuja, Mr Ogunbanjo told Bloomberg that the company’s 11,000 barrels-per-day modular refinery currently already produces kerosene, diesel, gas oil and naphtha.
He noted that the deregulation of the downstream petroleum market has now created a pathway for Aradel to commence gasoline production at its refinery.
He added that Aradel is also considering an expansion of the refinery, with the company assessing potential crude supply sources and export logistics as part of its plans.
The company’s integrated operations across crude oil production, refining and distribution have benefited from recent volatility in global oil markets triggered by the US-Iran war, he told the publication.
Mr Ogunbanjo also disclosed that Aradel is considering investments in aviation fuel production, as the product has emerged as an important export to the European market.
The planned petrol production is expected to further expand Aradel’s refining operations as Nigeria’s downstream petroleum sector adjusts to the post-subsidy regime and increased private-sector participation.
It could also mean competition for other dominant refiners and importers, particularly the 700,000 barrels per day Dangote Refinery. Data from the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) showed that Dangote supplied 87.55 per cent of Nigeria’s petrol demand in May 2026.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The decline in the share price of Central Securities Clearing System (CSCS) Plc weakened the NASD Over-the-Counter (OTC) Securities Exchange by 1.02 per cent on Wednesday, August 12.
The securities depository company suffered a N10.88 loss to close at N106.00 per unit compared with the previous day’s N116.88 per unit.
As a result, the market capitalisation, for the third time this week, closed lower, losing N28.04 billion to finish at N2.720 trillion compared with the N2.748 trillion it ended a day earlier. The NASD Security Index (NSI) dropped 46.71 points to end at 4,532.03 points versus Tuesday’s 4,578.74 points.
Yesterday, there was a price gainer, which was FrieslandCampina Wamco Nigeria Plc. Its price increased by N13.50 to N170.00 per share from N156.50 per share.
The level of activity for the session waned on Wednesday, with the volume of securities down by 89.8 per cent to 150,340 units from the previous session’s 1.5 million units. The value of securities slumped by 55.9 per cent to N18.7 million from N42.3 million, and the number of deals depreciated by 37.3 per cent to 32 deals from Tuesday’s 51 deals.
At the close of business, Great Nigeria Insurance (GNI) Plc was the most traded stock by value on a year-to-date basis, with 3.4 billion units valued at N8.4 billion, followed by Infrastructure Credit Guarantee (Infracredit) Plc with 2.3 billion units transacted for N6.5 billion, and CSCS Plc with 77.2 million units traded for N5.5 billion.
GNI Plc was also the most traded stock by volume on a year-to-date basis, with 3.4 billion units worth N8.4 billion, followed by Infracredit Plc with 2.3 billion units exchanged for N6.5 billion, and Resourcery Plc with 1.1 billion units sold for N415.7 million.
By Adedapo Adesanya
Foreign exchange (FX) pressure eased on the Naira on Wednesday. August 12, at the Nigerian Autonomous Foreign Exchange Market (NAFEX). Its value appreciated against the United States Dollar by 0.17 per cent or N2.31 to close at N1,360.58/$1 compared with the previous day’s N1,364.89/$1.
The Nigerian Naira also improved its value against the Pound Sterling at midweek at the official FX market by N1.62 to quote at N1,840.99, in contrast to Tuesday’s rate of N1,842.61/£1. It gained N3.49 against the Euro during the session to settle at N1,572.01/€1 versus the preceding session’s N1,575.50/€1.
However, the Naira depreciated against the greenback yesterday at the GTBank forex counter by N3 to sell for N1,370/$1 compared with the previous day’s N1,367/$1, and at the parallel market, it maintained stability at N1,395/$1.
Data from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) indicated that interbank FX turnover rose sharply by 481 per cent to $168.758 million from $29.060 million due to an increase in banks’ activities as intermediaries for their customers.
The apex bank data indicated that the number of deals at the interbank FX market surged to 190 from 47 the previous day.
As for the digital currency market, benchmarked tokens were more positive in line with the US inflation report that eased nerves but failed to spark a broad crypto rally.
Headline inflation rose 0.1 per cent on the month and 3.4 per cent on the year, with the core measure that strips out food and energy up 0.2 per cent and easing to 2.5 per cent.
July inflation matched forecasts, reinforcing expectations that the Federal Reserve can wait on further rate moves and prompting modest gains in gold, equities and some digital assets.
TRON (TRX) grew by 0.7 per cent to $0.3374, Binance Coin (BNB) jumped by 0.4 per cent to $612.84, Ethereum (ETH) rose by 0.3 per cent to $1,892.73, Solana (SOL) increased by 0.3 per cent to $76.37, and Bitcoin (BTC) added 0.2 per cent to sell at $63,768.51.
On the flip side, DOGE slipped by 1.6 per cent to $0.0705, Cardano (ADA) lost 1.1 per cent to end at $0.1844, and Ripple (XRP) declined by 0.7 per cent to $1.01, while the US Dollar Tether (USDT) and the US Dollar Coin (USDC) traded flat at $1.00 apiece.
