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Nigeria Records N71.88trn Trades, N44.77bn Trade Surplus in 2023

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By Adedapo Adesanya

In the whole of 2023, the total trade value carried out by Nigeria was N71.88 trillion, about 37  per cent higher than the N52.38 trillion recorded in 2022, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) revealed on Friday in its Foreign Trade in Goods Statistics (Q4 2023) Repor.

This report stated that the total trade value, made up of imports and exports, comprised total imports of N35.92 trillion, and total exports of N35.96 trillion, resulting in a trade surplus of N44.77 billion.

In the fourth quarter of 2023, the country’s total trade stood at N26.8 trillion of which total exports stood at N12.69 trillion and total imports amounted to N14.11 trillion, translating to a trade deficit of N1.42 trillion.

However, total exports increased in the fourth quarter by 22.7 per cent and 99.6 per cent when compared with the amount recorded in the third quarter of 2023 (N10.35 trillion) and the corresponding quarter in 2021 (N6.36 trillion), respectively.

In the same vein, total imports increased by 56.0 per cent in the fourth quarter of 2023 compared to the value recorded in the third quarter of the year (N9.04 trillion) and surged by 163.1 per cent when compared with the value recorded in the corresponding quarter of 2021 (N5.36 trillion).

The NBS report showed that the re-export’s value in the quarter under review stood at N50.91 billion representing 0.4 per cent of total exports.

The top five re-export destinations were Malaysia, Equatorial, Cameroun, Italy, Ghana, and the Netherlands while the most re-exported commodity was ‘Vessels and other floating structures for breaking up’ with N13.67 billion, this was followed by ‘Mechanically propelled vessels for the transport of goods, gross tonnage > 500 tonnes’ valued at N6.76 billion and ‘Other machinery of heading 84.30, not self-propelled’ amounting to N6.26 billion.

The top five export destinations in the fourth quarter of 2022 were the Netherlands with N1.9 trillion, India with N1.1 trillion, Spain with N1.03 trillion, Canada with N907.6 billion, and France with N799.8 billion accounting for 15.1 per cent, 8.7 per cent, 8.1 per cent, 7.2 per cent and 6.3 per cent respectively of total exports.

Altogether, exports to the top five countries amounted to 45.3 per cent of the total value of exports.

The commodity with the largest export values in the period under review was ‘Petroleum oils and oils obtained from bituminous minerals, crude’ with N10.3 trillion representing 81.2 per cent, followed by ‘Natural gas’ with N1.02 trillion accounting for 8.0 per cent, and ‘Urea, whether or not in aqueous solution’ with N251.9 billion or 1.98 per cent of total exports.

In terms of Imports (CIF), in the fourth quarter of 2023,  Singapore, China, Belgium, India, and the United States of America were the top five countries of origin of imports to Nigeria.

The value of imports from the top five countries amounted to N9.7 trillion representing a share of 68.9 per cent of the total value of imports. The commodities with the largest values of imported products were ‘Tanks and other armoured fighting vehicles, motorized, whet’ worth N5.1 billion, ‘Motor Spirit Ordinary’ (N1.8 trillion), and ‘Gas Oil’ (N1.2 trillion).

Adedapo Adesanya is a journalist, polymath, and connoisseur of everything art. When he is not writing, he has his nose buried in one of the many books or articles he has bookmarked or simply listening to good music with a bottle of beer or wine. He supports the greatest club in the world, Manchester United F.C.

Economy

Unlisted Securities Bourse Appreciates 0.24% Midweek

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By Adedapo Adesanya

The NASD Over-the-Counter (OTC) Securities Exchange rose by 0.24 per cent on Wednesday, December 17, pulling the Unlisted Security Index (NSI) up by 8.62 points to 3,614.64 points from 3,606.02 points.

In the same vein, the market capitalisation added N4.72 billion to close at N2.164 billion compared with the N2.160 trillion it ended on Tuesday.

The growth was inspired by four securities, which finished on the gainers’ log, neutralising the losses printed by two other securities on the trading platform.

MRS Oil Plc gained N17.90 on Wednesday to end at N196.90 per unit versus N179.00 per unit, NASD Plc appreciated by 59 Kobo to N58.50 per share from N57.91 per share, FrieslandCampina Wamco Nigeria Plc added 15 Kobo to sell at N60.19 per unit versus N60.04 per unit, and Industrial and General Insurance (IGI) Plc rose by 6 Kobo to 64 Kobo per share from 58 Kobo per share.

On the flip side, Golden Capital Plc extended its loss by 76 Kobo to end at N7.75 per unit versus N8.51 per unit, and Central Securities Clearing System (CSCS) Plc slipped by 35 Kobo to N39.65 per share from N40.00 per share.

Yesterday, the volume of transactions increased by 737.3 per cent to 20.4 million units from 2.4 million units, but the value of trades fell by 33.8 per cent to N72.2 million from N109.1 million, and the number of deals slid by 62.5 per cent to 21 deals from 56 deals.

Infrastructure Credit Guarantee Company (InfraCredit) Plc remained the most traded stock by value on a year-to-date basis with 5.8 billion units sold for N16.4 billion, the second position was occupied by Okitipupa Plc with 178.9 million units transacted for N9.5 billion, and the third place was taken by MRS Oil Plc with 36.1 million units worth N4.9 billion.

InfraCredit Plc was also the most traded stock by volume on a year-to-date basis with 5.8 billion units traded for N16.4 billion, followed by IGI Plc with 1.2 billion units valued at N420.7 million, and Impresit Bakolori Plc with 536.9 million units worth N524.9 million.

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Economy

NGX All-Share Index Nears 150,000 Points After 0.26% Growth

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By Dipo Olowookere

A 0.26 per cent growth was achieved by the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) Limited on Wednesday on the back of sustained bargain-hunting by investors.

This happened despite a pocket of profit-taking, with industrial goods losing 0.63 per cent and the energy index shedding 0.05 per cent.

But the insurance space increased by 2.02 per cent, the banking counter appreciated by 1.48 per cent, the commodity sector improved by 0.48 per cent, and the consumer goods segment rose by 0.03 per cent.

Consequently, the All-Share Index (ASI) went up by 383.71 points to 149,842.82 points from 149,459.11 points and the market capitalisation jumped by N244 billion to N95.525 trillion from N95.281 trillion.

The market breadth index remained positive after the bourse finished with 38 price gainers and 23 price losers, indicating a strong investor sentiment.

The quartet of First Holdco, Lasaco Assurance, Veritas Kapital, and Prestige Assurance gained 10.00 per cent to quote at N39.60, N2.75, N1.76, and N1.65, respectively, while Mecure Industries grew by 9.92 per cent to N50.40.

Conversely, Living Trust Mortgage Bank lost 10.00 per cent to close at N3.15, International Energy Insurance dropped 9.92 per cent to trade at N2.27, McNichols shrank by 6.90 per cent to N2.97, Omatek decreased by 6.84 per cent to N1.09, and Chams dipped by 6.41 per cent to N2.92.

The activity level witnessed a significant surge at midweek, with Ecobank trading 5.3 billion units for N168.7 billion.

Further, First Holdco sold 108.2 million units worth N4.2 billion, Sterling Holdings exchanged 87.3 million units valued at N606.2 million, FCMB transacted 74.3 million units worth N783.6 million, and Access Holdings sold 41.5 million units for N841.4 million.

At the close of trades, market participants traded 5.9 billion units valued at N216.2 billion in 25,205 deals compared with the 1.0 billion units worth N21.8 billion traded in 23,701 deals a day earlier, showing a rise in the trading volume, value, and number of deals by 490.00 per cent, 891.74 per cent, and 6.35 per cent, respectively.

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Economy

Naira Loses 0.25% to Trade N1,455 at Official Market

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By Adedapo Adesanya

The Naira depreciated against the United States Dollar in the Nigerian Autonomous Foreign Exchange Market (NAFEM) on Wednesday, December 17, by N3.67 or 0.25 per cent, closing at N1,455.49/$1, in contrast to Tuesday’s closing price of N1,451.82/$1.

Also, the local currency weakened against the Euro in the official market at midweek by 98 Kobo to close at N1,706.72/€1 versus the previous session’s price of N1,705.74/€1, but improved against the Pound Sterling by 75 Kobo to trade at N1,943.28/£1 compared with the N1,943.98/£1 it traded a day earlier.

At the GTBank forex counter, the Nigerian currency lost N3 against the greenback to finish at N1,463/$1 versus N1,460/$1 and in the parallel market, it remained unchanged at N1,475/$1.

Thin US dollar inflows from exporters, non-bank corporate, foreign portfolio investors and absence of immediate intervention of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to strengthen supply triggered fresh pressure.

This is coming off the back of decline in inflows through the Nigerian Foreign Exchange Market which decreased to $716.3 million last week from $844.70 million in the previous week , a 15 per cent drop in a week.

The intervention comes as the CBN expect inflows from Detty December to alleviate need for FX demand, but exorbitant local prices may be keeping spending at bay.

Regardless of the seasonal demand, positive FX support for the local currency through 2025 signals a deliberate action to ensure the local currency maintains the trading range amidst growing external reserves. Latest data showed that gross external reserves position advanced to $45.47 billion, reflecting a 11.2 per cent Year-to-Date (YTD) gain.

In the cryptocurrency market, there was selling pressure as traders liquidated positions amid a short-rally, leading Litecoin (LTC) to slip by 5.2 per cent to close at $75.12m, as Cardano (ADA) depreciated by 5.0 per cent to $0.3619,  and Dogecoin (DOGE) lost 4.8 per cent to finish at $0.1247.

In addition, Ripple (XRP) depreciated by 4.7 per cent to $1.83, Solana (SOL) crashed by 4.1 per cent to $122.62, Ethereum (ETH) went down by 3.9 per cent to $2,826.62, Binance Coin (BNB) fell by 3.4 per cent to $833.07, and Bitcoin (BTC) tumbled by 0.5 per cent to sell at $86,436.66, while the US Dollar Tether (USDT) and the US Dollar Coin (USDC) closed flat at $1.00 each.

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