Economy
Key Events Later This Week May Keep Traders on Sidelines
By Investors Hub
The major U.S. index futures are currently pointing to a roughly flat opening on Monday as traders look ahead to several key events later this week.
Traders may be reluctant to make any significant moves ahead of the announcement of the Federal Reserve?s latest monetary policy decision on Wednesday.
The Fed is widely expected to leave interest rates unchanged, although the accompanying statement and Fed Chairman Jerome Powell?s subsequent press conference are still likely to attract attention.
Traders are also likely to keep a close eye on the Labor Department?s monthly jobs report scheduled to be released on Friday.
Economists expect the report to show an increase of about 180,000 jobs in April compared to the addition of 196,000 jobs in March. The unemployment rate is expected to hold at 3.8 percent.
Reports on consumer confidence, pending home sales, and manufacturing and service sector activity may also impact trading in the coming days.
Traders will also have another slew of earnings news to digest, with Google parent Alphabet (GOOGL), General Electric (GE), General Motors (GM), McDonald?s (MCD), Pfizer (PFE), Apple (AAPL), Kraft Heinz (KHC), and DowDuPont (DWDP) among the companies due to report their results this week.
After recovering from an early move to the downside, stocks moved moderately higher over the course of the trading session on Friday. With the upward move, the Nasdaq and the S&P 500 ended the session at new record closing highs.
The major averages saw further upside going into the close, ending the session at their best levels of the day. The Dow rose 81.25 points or 0.3 percent to 26,543.33, the Nasdaq climbed 27.72 points or 0.3 percent to 8,146.40 and the S&P 500 advanced 13.71 points or 0.5 percent to 2,939.88.
For the week, the Dow edged down by 0.1 percent, while the Nasdaq soared by 1.9 percent and the S&P 500 surged up by 1.2 percent.
The turnaround on Wall Street came as traders reacted to the Commerce Department’s preliminary reading on first quarter GDP.
The report showed an unexpected acceleration in GDP growth in the first quarter, although economists expressed some concerns about the underlying data.
The Commerce Department said real gross domestic product jumped by 3.2 percent in the first quarter after climbing by 2.2 percent in the fourth quarter of 2018.
The acceleration in the pace of growth came as a surprise to economists, who had expected GDP to increase by 2.1 percent.
Paul Ashworth, Chief U.S. Economist at Capital Economics, said the much stronger than expected GDP growth would seem to “make a mockery of claims that the U.S. economy is slowing as the fiscal stimulus fades.”
“After all, 3.2% is well above the economy’s 2% potential pace and the 2.2% gain in the final quarter of last year,” Ashworth said. “Looking beyond the headline number, however, there are plenty of causes for concern.”
Ashworth predicted positive contributions from net trade, inventories and highways investment will all be reversed in the coming quarters and continues to expect overall growth to slow this year.
Traders were also reacting to the latest batch of mixed earnings news from big-name companies, with auto giant Ford (F) moving sharply higher after reporting first quarter results that exceeded analyst estimates on both the top and bottom lines.
Online retail giant Amazon (AMZN) also ended the day firmly in positive territory after reporting better than expected quarterly results.
On the other hand, shares of Intel (INTC) plunged by 9 percent after the semiconductor giant reported better than expected first quarter results but provided disappointing guidance.
Bargain hunting contributed to considerable strength among tobacco stocks, with the NYSE Arca Tobacco Index jumping by 2.6 percent after slumping to a two-month closing low on Thursday.
Gold stocks also showed a substantial move to the upside on the day, driving the NYSE Arca Gold Bugs Index up by 2.5 percent. The rally by the gold sector came amid a notable increase by the price of the precious metal.
Housing stocks also ended the day notably higher, while energy stocks moved to the downside amid a steep drop by the price of crude oil.
Economy
How Remote Workers Are Using OneDosh to Get Paid and Spend Globally
The Covid-19 pandemic brought a different work mode globally that promised freedom: remote work. This new work approach brought along technological innovations that aided the conveniences that accompanied it: the ability to work from anywhere, collaborate across time zones, and build a career without borders. But the one problem nobody warned us about was that getting paid and using that money shouldn’t require a finance degree.
Remote workers in Nigeria sought various avenues to navigate international payments, and one of the solutions that was provided was OneDosh, which has now become the bridge between earning globally and spending locally. Built by global fintech leaders, OneDosh developed solutions to solve these problems.
We will be focusing on how real people are using the platform to simplify their financial lives in this article.
The Payment Waiting Game Nobody Talks About – Chioma’s Story
Chioma works as a social media manager for two U.S. companies and a UK-based startup. Her biggest frustration isn’t the work itself or managing clients across time zones. It’s the anxiety that comes every payment cycle when she wonders if her domiciliary account will receive the wire transfer, or if this will be the month her bank flags the transaction for “verification” that takes weeks to resolve.
She’s had months where a $2,000 payment got stuck in banking limbo for three weeks while her landlord sent messages about rent. The experience taught her that having multiple international clients doesn’t guarantee financial stability when you can’t reliably access your earnings.
OneDosh changed her approach entirely. Now when clients pay her in stablecoins, the money arrives within minutes and she can decide immediately what to do with it, whether to convert to naira for immediate expenses, keep in USD for savings, or split between both. The control matters more than the speed, though the speed helps when bills are due.
When Your Card Works Until It Doesn’t – Tunde’s Story
Tunde learned the hard way that Nigerian debit cards have spending limits that make international subscriptions a constant negotiation. His Adobe Creative Cloud subscription failed three months in a row despite having money in his account. Customer support would apologize, he’d try a different card, and the cycle would repeat until he eventually had to ask a friend abroad to pay for it while he reimbursed them.
The OneDosh visa card solved this specific problem, but more importantly, it eliminated the unpredictability. He uses it for all his international subscriptions now like software tools, cloud storage, freelancing platform fees, without wondering if this will be the month his bank decides the transaction looks suspicious. The card works consistently, which sounds basic until you’ve experienced the alternative.
Naira Volatility and the Dollar Earning Advantage – Blessing’s Experience
For remote workers earning in dollars, the mathematics of currency conversion has become a monthly calculation that affects every financial decision. Blessing, a freelance writer, watches exchange rates the way other people check weather forecasts. A project that pays $500 means something very different in naira depending on when and how she converts it.
Her previous system involved converting everything to naira immediately at the offered rate, rather than exploring other options but felt safer than alternatives she didn’t fully understand. With OneDosh, she keeps her dollar earnings in the Onedosh wallet until she needs them; converting smaller amounts as needed rather than converting everything at once. This helps her manage timing and stay mindful of exchange rates and fees.
The Family Support Reality – Emeka the Tech Bro
Remote work success in Nigeria often means becoming the family member others turn to when emergencies arise. Emeka earns well working for a Canadian tech company, which means he’s frequently sending money to siblings for school fees, parents for medical bills, or extended family for various urgent needs.
Sending support shouldn’t feel complicated or time-consuming. With OneDosh, he can transfer funds seamlessly from wherever he is, with a simple and straightforward process. This flexibility is especially valuable when someone needs access to funds at a critical moment, allowing him to respond quickly and confidently.
“Although he believes this hasn’t made him richer, it certainly has made helping family significantly less stressful and time-consuming, which matters when you’re trying to balance work deadlines with family obligations.”
The Nigerian remote worker experience involves navigating payment systems that weren’t built for how we work now. Blocked transactions, unclear fees, conversion rate losses, spending limits etc are barriers that make earning internationally harder than it needs to be.
OneDosh doesn’t eliminate every challenge remote workers face, but it addresses several major ones directly. The platform works with the reality of Nigerian remote workers rather than pretending those realities don’t exist.
If you’re managing international payments, download the OneDosh app, It is designed to help you handle things more smoothly.
Economy
Unlisted OTC Securities Slide Further by 0.35%
By Adedapo Adesanya
The NASD Over-the-Counter (OTC) Securities Exchange further dropped 0.35 per cent on Tuesday, March 17, with the market capitalisation down by N8.80 billion to N2.471 trillion from the preceding day’s N2.480 trillion, and the NASD Unlisted Security Index (NSI) dipping by 14.71 points to 4,130.89 points from 4,145.60 points.
The loss recorded during the session was influenced by three securities, which overpowered the gains recorded by four stocks.
Okitipupa Plc lost N15.00 to sell at N215.00 per unit compared with the previous day’s N230.00 per unit, FrieslandCampina Wamco Nigeria Plc depreciated by N1.23 to trade at N122.32 per share versus Monday’s closing price of N123.55 per share, and Afriland Plc declined by 90 Kobo to quote at N17.05 per unit versus N17.95 per unit.
On the flip side, Central Securities Clearing System (CSCS) gained 36 Kobo to close at N75.43 per share versus the preceding session’s N75.07 per share, Geo-Fluids Plc added 6 Kobo to trade at N3.11 per unit compared with the previous day’s N3.05 per unit, Lighthouse Financial Service Plc improved by 5 Kobo to 60 Kobo per share from 55 Kobo per share, and Industrial and General Insurance (IGI) Plc rose by 1 Kobo to 55 Kobo per unit from 54 Kobo per unit.
Yesterday, the volume of securities surged by 97.5 per cent to 921,265 units from 265,610 units, the value of securities advanced by 64.6 per cent to N54.7 million from N33.2 million, and the number of deals went up by 46.2 per cent to 38 deals from 26 deals.
The most active stock by value (year-to-date) was CSCS Plc with 38.7 million units worth N2.4 billion, trailed by Okitipupa Plc with 6.4 million units valued at N1.2 billion, and FrieslandCampina Wamco Nigeria Plc traded 6.8 million units for N649.1 million.
The most traded stock by volume (year-to-date) was Resourcery Plc with 1.1 billion units sold for N415.6 million, followed by Geo-Fluids Plc with 130.9 million units exchanged for N505.1 million, and CSCS Plc with 38.6 million units worth N2.4 billion.
Economy
Nigeria’s Stock Market Now N130trn After 0.54% Surge
By Dipo Olowookere
A 0.54 per cent surge was witnessed by the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) Limited on Tuesday as a result of strong investor demand and broad-based gains in the banking and industrial goods sectors.
According to data from the bourse, the industrial goods space expanded by 4.44 per cent, and the banking index chalked up 4.30 per cent, offsetting the losses recorded by the three other indices due to profit-taking.
Business Post reports that the consumer goods sector depreciated by 1.30 per cent, the insurance counter shrank by 0.41 per cent, and the energy landscape lost 0.13 per cent.
At the close of business, the market capitalisation soared by N696 billion to N130.026 trillion from N129.330 trillion, and the All-Share Index (ASI) surged by 1,084.52 points to 202,559.41 points from 201,474.89 points.
BUA Cement ended the day as the best-performing equity after it jumped 10.00 per cent to N326.70, Premier Paints appreciated by 9.86 per cent to N23.40, Zenith Bank expanded by 7.91 per cent to N111.15, NAHCO moved up by 7.14 per cent to N175.60, and RT Briscoe grew by 6.67 per cent to N11.20.
Conversely, Presco was the worst-performing equity, with a decline of 10.00 per cent to quote at N1,875.60. Caverton dropped 8.70 per cent to N6.30, Secure Electronic Technology lost 7.69 per cent to trade at N1.20, Guinea Insurance shed 6.43 per cent to quote at N1.31, and International Breweries crashed by 6.35 per cent to N14.00.
During the session, 1.8 billion shares worth N88.1 billion exchanged hands in 62,654 deals compared with the 948.2 million shares valued at N49.2 billion traded in 72,735 deals a day earlier, implying a contraction in the number of deals by 13.72 per cent, and an expansion in the trading volume and value by 89.83 per cent and 79.07 per cent, respectively.
Dominating the activity chart was FCMB with a turnover of 516.2 million equities valued at N6.6 billion, Wema Bank transacted 213.4 million shares for N5.6 billion, Zenith Bank traded 163.1 million stocks worth N18.1 billion, Access Holdings sold 123.9 million equities valued at N3.2 billion, and GTCO exchanged 100.0 million shares worth N12.4 billion.
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