Economy
Local Equities Manage 0.01% Growth to Open Week Positive
By Dipo Olowookere
Equities at the local exchange managed a marginal growth of 0.01 per cent on Monday as some investors embarked on cautious trading.
Yesterday, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) commenced its 2-day Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meeting in Abuja and traders are waiting for the outcome of the deliberations on Tuesday.
At the previous MPC gathering, the benchmark interest rate was left at 12.5 per cent but this time, investors are not sure what will happen, though analysts have said the rates will not be changed.
The CBN recently asked commercial banks to offer interest on savings deposit at 1.25 per cent per annum and the treasury bills stop rates have remained very low, almost nearing below one per cent.
With all these, it was not surprising that investors were treading carefully and were not too eager to mop up stocks at the market, especially when some of them are currently at their resistance level.
At the close of transactions, a total of 196.1 million shares worth N1.7 billion exchanged hands in 3,542 deals compared with the previous session’s 125.9 million shares worth N1.3 billion traded in 2,295 deals.
Presco was the highest price gainer during the session, rising by 90 kobo to close at N49.90 per share, while UAC Nigeria followed with a price appreciation of 35 kobo to finish at N6.40 per unit.
International Breweries grew by 10 kobo to sell for N3.40 per share, MTN Nigeria appreciated by 10 kobo to settle at N120.10 per unit, while GTBank garnered 5 kobo to trade at N25.40 per share.
On the flip side, Julius Berger went down by 50 kobo to close at N15 per unit, leading the losers’ table at the close of business.
Red Star Express fell by 30 kobo to end at N2.96 per share, Flour Mills depreciated by 15 kobo to settle at N19.65 per share, Champion Breweries declined by 9 kobo to quote at 81 kobo per unit, while Access Bank slipped by 5 kobo to close at N6.40 per unit.
For another trading session, FBN Holdings finished as the most active stock, trading 43.4 million units valued at N214.5 million and was followed by Chams, which sold 26.2 million units valued at N5.3 million.
UBA traded 13.2 million shares for N79.1 million, Mutual Benefits Assurance exchanged 12.2 million equities worth N2.5 million, while Zenith Bank traded 11.7 million stocks for N195.1 million.
Business Post reports that the All-Share Index (ASI) slightly increased by 1.78 points on Monday to 25,574.35 points from 25,572.57 points, while the market capitalisation moved up by N1 billion to N13.366 trillion from N13.365 trillion.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has retained Nigeria’s economic growth projections at 4.1 per cent for 2026 and 4.3 per cent for 2027, expressing confidence that ongoing macroeconomic reforms will continue to support the country’s recovery.
The projections, contained in the IMF’s July 2026 World Economic Outlook (WEO) Update titled “Global Economy in Crosscurrents of War and Technology”, remain unchanged from the forecasts released in April, despite mounting global uncertainties stemming from the conflict in the Middle East.
According to the report released yesterday, Nigeria’s growth outlook is being supported by improved macroeconomic stability and favourable terms of trade arising from its status as an oil-exporting nation.
However, the Bretton Woods institution warned that rising prices of essential goods could offset part of these gains by worsening poverty and food insecurity across the country.
The report stated that, “Nigeria is supported by improved macroeconomic stability and favourable terms of trade effects, though higher prices for essentials are expected to further aggravate poverty and food insecurity.”
Speaking during the IMF’s virtual briefing on the July 2026 World Economic Outlook Update for Sub-Saharan Africa and Nigeria, Division Chief in the IMF’s Research Department, Ms Deniz Igan, described Nigeria as one of the region’s stronger-performing large economies, noting that policy reforms have strengthened macroeconomic stability.
“Just to give you a sense, the two largest economies in the region, Nigeria is expected to grow at 4.1 per cent, quite stable, and this is supported by improved macroeconomic stability and favourable terms of trade, with Nigeria being an oil exporter,” Ms Igan said.
She, however, cautioned that inflationary pressures on essential commodities remain a major concern.
“At the same time, tighter prices, so there is some offset to that positive terms of trade effect because higher prices for essentials are expected to aggravate poverty and food insecurity,” she added.
The lender also retained Nigeria’s 2027 growth forecast at 4.3 per cent, as it noted that recent economic reforms are laying the foundation for sustained expansion despite persistent global headwinds.
For the global economy, the IMF projected growth to moderate to 3.0 per cent in 2026 from 3.5 per cent recorded in 2025, attributing the slowdown largely to the economic impact of the Middle East conflict, which is expected to offset part of the gains from the accelerating artificial intelligence-driven technology cycle.
For Sub-Saharan Africa, the IMF projected economic growth of 4.3 per cent in 2026 before improving to 4.5 per cent in 2027. The latest forecast represents a 0.1 percentage point upward revision from the Fund’s April outlook.
Ms Igan noted that the region had experienced broad-based economic recovery in 2025 before the outbreak of the Middle East conflict altered the growth trajectory.
“Let me start by noting that we actually had seen a broad-based pickup in growth in 2025 in the region. We had an acceleration of growth to 4.5 per cent.
“Now, the war obviously has clouded the outlook for 2026, and we are now projecting a softening of growth to 4.3 per cent in the region as a whole,” she said.
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
Presco Plc has concluded plans to establish operations in Ogun State as part of efforts to expand its footprint, boost earnings, and deliver more value to shareholders.
The news of the operations was announced by the Governor of Ogun State, Mr Dapo Abiodun, after he received a delegation from the company.
Presco is one of the leading integrated oil palm firms in Nigeria. It is listed on the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) Limited.
The Governor expressed his joy over the decision of Presco to situate its factory in the Gateway State.
He disclosed that the organisation has promised to have an initial investment of about $100 million in Ogun State, noting that this “validates the confidence investors continue to place in our administration’s deliberate policies aimed at creating an enabling business environment.”
According to him, beyond strengthening the state government’s agricultural transformation agenda, the project is expected to generate thousands of direct and indirect jobs, enhance food security, stimulate economic growth, and increase the state’s revenue.
“As we continue to implement our Building Our Future Together agenda, we remain committed to attracting strategic investments that will diversify our economy, create sustainable opportunities for our people, and reinforce Ogun State’s position as Nigeria’s preferred investment destination,” Mr Abiodun stated.
By Adedapo Adesanya
FrieslandCampina Wamco Nigeria Plc led two others to evict the bears from the NASD Over-the-Counter (OTC) Securities Exchange on Wednesday, July 8.
According to data, the unlisted securities exchange rebounded by 6.84 per cent during the session, thanks to the gains recorded by FrieslandCampina, Food Concepts Plc, and Geo-Fluids Plc.
During the trading day, FrieslandCampina recouped N12.57 to trade at N151.98 per unit versus Tuesday’s closing price of N139.41 per unit, Food Concepts Plc improved by 25 Kobo to N2.76 per share from N2.51 per share, and Geo-Fluids Plc expanded by 18 Kobo to N2.55 per unit from N2.37 per unit.
As a result of these accumulations, the market capitalisation added N163.34 billion to close at N2.551 trillion compared with the preceding session’s N2.387 trillion, and the NASD Security Index (NSI) increased by 272.13 points to 4,250.20 points from 3,978.07 points.
The midweek trading data showed that the volume of securities dipped by 50.9 per cent to 158,933 units from 323,780 units, and the value of securities slipped by 31.9 per cent to N10.9 million from the preceding session’s N15.9 million, while the number of deals increased by 6.9 per cent to 31 deals from the previous session’s 29 deals.
When trading activities on the platform ended for the day, Great Nigeria Insurance (GNI) Plc was the most active stock by value on a year-to-date basis, with 3.4 billion units traded for N8.4 billion, followed by Infrastructure Credit Guarantee (Infracredit) Plc with 2.3 billion units sold for N6.5 billion, and Central Securities Clearing System (CSCS) Plc with 70.7 million units transacted for N4.9 billion.
GNI Plc also closed the day as 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 valued at N6.5 billion, and Resourcery Plc with 1.1 billion units exchanged for N415.7 million.
