**Revokes Trading Licences of LMB, Platinum Stockbrokers

By Aduragbemi Omiyale

A stockbroking company, Premium Capital and Stockbrokers Limited, has been fined N5 million for engaging in “unauthorised sale of its clients’ securities.”

A circular issued by the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) Regulation Limited disclosed that the trading licence of the organisation has also been revoked.

In the notice signed by the Head of Market Regulation for NGX RegCo, Chinedu Akamaka, Premium Capital violated Rule 11.9 of the Rulebook of The Exchange, 2015 (Dealing Members’ Rules), which focuses on the Prohibition of Unauthorised Sale of Securities.

Business Post reports that Premium Capital was not the only stockbroker that had its trading licence withdrawn, as it also affected others.

The licence of LMB Stockbrokers Limited was revoked by NGX RegCo for prolonged inactivity, which falls contrary to Rule 6.4: Revocation of Inactive Dealing Members’ Licences, Rulebook of The Exchange, 2015 (Dealing Members’ Rules), as amended.

The same also affected Platinum Stockbrokers Limited, which has not witnessed activity on the floor of the NGX Limited for a while.

Similarly, the authorised dealing clerkship of Mr Bernard Oluwole Ilori, was taken back with immediate effect in alignment with an earlier determination by the Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) Administrative Proceedings Committee (APC), which arose from his involvement in regulatory infractions connected to Mutual Alliance Investment and Securities Limited and resulted in his 10-year ban from the Nigerian capital market since March 25, 2021.

Investors have been “strongly advised not to engage in any activity with the firms” whose trading licenses have been revoked.

By Adedapo Adesanya

The NASD Over-the-Counter (OTC) Securities Exchange declined by 0.95 per cent on Thursday, April 9, plunging the Unlisted Security Index (NSI) by 37.41 points to 3,893.50 points from 3,930.91 points.

In the same vein, the market capitalisation lost N22.38 billion during the session to N2.329 trillion from the N2.351 trillion it ended at midweek.

The OTC securities exchange was under selling pressure yesterday, resulting in a negative market breadth index after three securities lost weight and one gained weight.

Central Securities Clearing System (CSCS) Plc led the losers’ table after it shed N3.74 to sell at N64.21 per unit versus N67.95 per unit. Food Concepts Plc went down by 19 Kobo to N2.68 per share from N2.87 per share, and Free Range Farms Plc dropped 10 Kobo to settle at 90 Kobo per unit versus N1.00 per unit.

On the flip side, MRS Oil gained N5 to close at N165.00 per share compared with the preceding day’s N160.00 per share.

At the trading session, there was a 23.5 per cent jump in the value of securities to N40.4 million from N32.7 million, but the volume of securities fell by 81.9 per cent to 1.04 million units from 5.7 million units, and the number of deals went down by 29.7 per cent to 26 deals from the preceding session’s 37 deals.

At the close of transactions, Great Nigeria Insurance (GNI) Plc remained the most active stock by value on a year-to-date basis with 3.4 billion units valued at N8.4 billion, followed by CSCS Plc with 57.5 million units exchanged for N3.9 billion, and Okitipupa Plc with 27.5 million units traded for N1.8 billion.

Also, GNI Plc ended the trading day as the most traded stock by volume on a year-to-date basis with the sale of 3.4 billion units worth N8.4 billion, trailed by Resourcery Plc with 1.1 billion units worth N415.7 million, and Infrastructure Guarantee Credit Plc with 400 million units sold for N1.2 billion.

By Adedapo Adesanya

The Naira further appreciated against the US Dollar in the various segments of the foreign exchange (FX) market on Thursday, April 9.

At the black market, the Nigerian currency improved its value yesterday by N20 to quote at N1,390/$1 compared with the previous day’s rate of N1,410/$1.

In the Nigerian Autonomous Foreign Exchange Market (NAFEX) window, the domestic currency gained N12.50 or 0.9 per cent against the greenback to trade at N1,359.32/$1, in contrast to midweek’s price of N1,371.82/$1.

In the same official market, the local currency gained N14.89 against the Euro to sell at N1,589.18/€1 versus N1,604.07/€1, and traded flat against the Pound Sterling at N1,844.83/£1.

Data from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) showed that turnover increased to N71.156 million across 115 deals, suggesting that banks’ customers’ demand for foreign payments eased slightly on the day.

The local currency has been in strong demand from foreign portfolio investors seeking to purchase OMO bills and other fixed-income instruments.

External reserves, which provide the CBN with firepower to support the currency, declined for the 13th consecutive session, falling by about $840 million to $49.18 billion as of April 1 from $50.02 billion recorded on March 11, according to CBN data.

The persistent drawdown reflects mounting external pressures tied to heightened geopolitical tensions in the Middle East, which analysts say have dampened investor appetite for frontier markets and weakened capital inflows into Nigeria.

In the cryptocurrency market, prices tapped into optimism as geopolitical tensions over a fragile Iran ceasefire and a partial reopening of the Strait of Hormuz keep markets cautious and oil prices volatile.

Market analysts noted that if the ceasefire survives through the weekend and the Strait opens further, momentum will build for risk assets like crypto. However, if Iran’s grievances escalate or President Donald Trump’s rhetoric shifts, prices may crater.

Bitcoin (BTC) appreciated by 1.6 per cent to $71,989.47, Dogecoin (DOGE) expanded by 1.5 per cent to $0.0928, Solana (SOL) added 1.4 per cent to sell for $83.34, Ripple (XRP) jumped 1.1 per cent to $1.34, Cardano (ADA) went up by 0.8 per cent to $0.2518, TRON (TRX) grew by 0.7 per cent to $0.3195, Ethereum (ETH) increased by 0.6 per cent to $2,192.07, and Binance Coin (BNB) climbed 0.4 per cent to $601.29, while the US Dollar Tether (USDT) and the US Dollar Coin (USDC) remained unchanged at $1.00 each.