By Adedapo Adesanya

It was a perfect week for the NASD Over-the-Counter (OTC) Securities Exchange after it closed higher on Friday by 0.13 per cent, recording five gains in five trading days.

According to data, the NASD Unlisted Security Index (NSI) appreciated yesterday by 4.81 points to close at 3,665.68 points compared to the 3,660.87 points it ended a day earlier, and the market capitalisation increased by N2.88 billion to finish at N2.193 compared with the preceding session’s N2.190 trillion.

Six securities had movements at the close of transactions, with three going to the green side and another three to the red side.

FrieslandCampina Wamco Nigeria Plc grew by N6.23 to close at N68.70 per unit versus Thursday’s price of N62.47 per unit, Central Securities Clearing System (CSCS) Plc gained 45 Kobo to close at N43.07 per share compared with the previous day’s N42.62 per share, and  Geo-Fluids Plc appreciated by 2 Kobo to N6.84 per unit from N6.82 per unit.

On the flip side, Afriland Properties Plc lost N1.55 to end at N14.75 per share compared with the previous day’s N16.30 per share, NASD Plc depreciated by N1.00 to N59.00 per unit from N60.00 per unit, and Food Concepts Plc declined by 34 Kobo to N3.06 share from N3.40 share.

Yesterday, the volume of securities fell by 10.6 per cent to 434,845 units from 486,499 units, the value of securities shrank by 34.6 per cent to N6.9 million from N10.5 million, and the number of deals decreased by 8.3 per cent to 22 deals from 24 deals.

CSCS Plc remained the most traded stock by value on a year-to-date basis with 1.1 million units exchanged for N43.9 million, followed by Geo-Fluids Plc with 3.1 million units valued at N21.3 million, and FrieslandCampina Wamco Nigeria Plc with 237,747 units worth N14.5 million.

In terms of volume, Geo-Fluids Plc took over the top spot with 3.1 million units sold for N21.3 million, trailed by Industrial and General Insurance (IGI) Plc with 2.9 million units traded for N1.9 million, and CSCS Plc with 1.1 million units valued at N43.9 million

By Adedapo Adesanya

The woes of the Nigerian Naira in the various segments of the foreign exchange (FX) market continued on Friday as its value further depreciated against the US Dollar at the close of business.

In the black market window, it depleted yesterday by N5 against the Dollar to sell for N1,490/$1 compared with the previous day’s value of N1,485/$1, though gained N1 at the GTBank forex counter to quote at N1,427/$1 versus the preceding session’s N1,428/$1.

In the Nigerian Autonomous Foreign Exchange Market (NAFEM) segment, the local currency weakened against the greenback during the session by N3.45 to settle at N1,423.17/$1 compared with the N1,419.72/$1 it was exchanged a day earlier.

In the same vein, the domestic currency lost N3.65 against the Pound Sterling to close at N1,912.03/£1 versus Thursday’s closing price of N1,908.38/£1 and declined against the Euro by 47 Kobo to finish at N1,658.13/€1, in contrast to the N1,657.66/€1 it was traded on Thursday.

The Nigerian currency came under pressure yesterday due to supply squeeze after a relative period of improved liquidity.

In its outlook for 2026, AIICO Capital Limited said the Naira would trade between N1,350/$1 and N1,400/$1, saying the local currency was undervalued last year.

“The Naira remained undervalued for much of the year, but the extent of misalignment declined materially compared with 2024,” the investment firm said in a note.

This stability is underpinned by ongoing reforms by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and improved portfolio inflows but worries like weak oil prices, FX liquidity crisis, and forced currency devaluation, remain.

In the cryptocurrency market, benchmarked tokens gave up some gains after US employment data for December was mixed, while inflation expectations edged higher, and the U. Supreme Court did not deliver a ruling on the Donald Trump Administration’s tariffs.

Watchers had been expecting a ruling on Friday morning, but the tariff case result was not among those published by the court. More case decisions are expected next Wednesday.

Cardano (ADA) slid by 2.1 per cent to $0.3870, Solana (SOL) depreciated by 1.9 per cent to $135.88, Dogecoin (DOGE) went down by 0.8 per cent to $0.1395, Ripple (XRP) slumped by 0.7 per cent to $2.09, Ethereum (ETH) shrank by 0.6 per cent to $3,083.43, and Litecoin (LTC) lost 0.2 per cent to trade at $81.25.

Conversely, Binance Coin (BNB) appreciated by 1.2 per cent to $902.77, and Bitcoin (BTC) rose by 0.1 per cent to $90,520.97, while the US Dollar Tether (USDT) and the US Dollar Coin (USDC) closed flat at $1.00 each.

By Adedapo Adesanya

Oil prices rose by about 2 per cent on Friday on growing supply worries linked to intensifying protests in oil-producing Iran and an escalation of attacks in Russia’s war in Ukraine.

Brent futures appreciated by $1.35 or 2.18 per cent to $63.34 per barrel, while the US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) futures were up by $1.36 or 2.35 per cent to $59.12. For the week, Brent grew by about 4 per cent, while WTI gained about 3 per cent.

Worries over potential disruption of Iran’s oil output grew as the civil unrest in the Middle Eastern country, which is a member of the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), intensified.

President Donald Trump said on Thursday that Iran’s leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was planning on fleeing the country following the protests in the OPEC producer demanding a change in regime.

The Ayatollah is “looking to go someplace”, President Trump told reporters who asked for comment on reports that the Iranian leader could escape to Russia.

On Friday, Iran cut off Internet, as the regime frequently does amid protests in the autocratic country over economic hardships.

The action continued in the capital Tehran as well as in major cities of Mashhad and Isfahan and other areas around the country.

The protests that began nearly two weeks ago have left about 40 people dead and 2,000 have been detained as Iranian forces are trying to suppress the widespread protests.

The Ayatollah on Friday slammed the protests and protesters, accusing them of being “vandals” acting on behalf of President Trump.

In a televised address and amid the Internet blackout, Khamenei vowed that the Islamic Republic would “not back down” to protesters and  President Trump.

A survey showed that OPEC pumped 28.40 million barrels per day last month, down 100,000 barrels per day from November’s revised total, with troubled Iran and Venezuela posting the largest declines.

The Russia-Ukraine war also added to supply worries as the Russian military said on Friday it had fired its hypersonic Oreshnik missile at targets in Ukraine. The targets included energy infrastructure supporting Ukraine’s military-industrial complex.

Despite these, global oil inventories are rising and oversupply remains the main driver that could cap gains.

The US moved to push a Venezuela oil deal to US energy companies including Chevron, ExxonMobil, ConocoPhillips, Halliburton, Valero, Marathon, Shell, Vitol, Trafigura, Repsol, Eni, and others, with President Trump saying the agreement would generate “tremendous wealth” for the industry and “great wealth” for the American people.