Economy
Nigeria’s Consumer Confidence Index Drops 113 in Q1 2018
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
The latest Nielsen Consumer Confidence Index (CCI) for the first quarter of 2018 for West Africa has reflected a mixed bag of sentiment, associated with lingering uncertainty.
It’s no secret that Sub-Saharan Africa has been through a tumultuous few years with fluctuating commodity prices and resulting market uncertainty.
In the report, Ghana’s CCI stayed stable at 120, the same level as the previous quarter, while Nigeria’s level dropped nine points to 113.
Looking at current sentiment Nielsen West Africa & Maghreb MD Abhik Gupta explains; “There was an expectation that the situation would improve after Quarter 4, with fundamentals looking up i.e. more cash/forex injection by the Central Bank and higher oil prices, however, this improvement is still not evident in the market.
“Consumer purchasing power is lagging as the upturn in economy is not being felt at the consumer level. There has also been no change in inflation levels or employment conditions. So, while the worst may be over, and the economy seems to have bottomed out, the improvement is still not evident.”
A thirst for jobs
In terms of their employment prospects over the next 12-months, Ghanaians’ sentiment has deteriorated slightly by four points to 65% who see their job prospects as positive. Nigeria has experienced an even greater drop of nine points to 56%. This, however, has had only a small effect on Nigerians view of their personal finances with 78% (down from 84%) saying their personal finances will be good or excellent in the next 12-months. In contrast, and despite their declining job outlook, 86% (a 7% point increase) of Ghanaians are feeling positive about their personal finances in the next 12-months.
Ghanaians immediate spending intentions are therefore unsurprisingly holding steady with 48% saying now is the time to buy the things they need and want, whereas this figure has declined by five points to 38% of Nigerians feeling the same. Both countries have, however, seen a marked decline in the number of respondents saying they have spare cash, namely a nine percent drop in Ghana to 47% and the same level of decline in Nigeria to 45%.
Saving centric
Due to the cash strapped nature of their lives and looming uncertainty, 80% of Ghanaians remain committed to a savings regime, 67% aim to invest in shares and mutual funds and 68% are determined to preserve the value of one of their biggest assets their home. Nigerians hold a similar predisposition towards saving (84%) and home improvements (76%) but 68% rank buying new clothes as their preferred option for the use of spare cash.
Looking ahead Gupta comments; “While Nigeria is experiencing dampened sentiment, consumer sentiment in Ghana is on a high even though there has been no change in index levels since the previous quarter. Inflation is also down and is expected to further moderate this year, leading to increase in consumer demand and higher purchasing power.”
Economy
BNB Price Reflects Changing Dynamics in the Digital Asset Market
Economy
NASD Unlisted Security Index Crosses 4,000-point Benchmark Again
By Adedapo Adesanya
The NASD Over-the-Counter (OTC) Securities Exchange achieved a milestone on Friday, April 24, 2026, after five securities on the platform helped with a 1.85 per cent growth.
Data showed that the NASD Unlisted Security Index (NSI) again crossed the 4,000-point benchmark yesterday.
The index chalked up 73.64 points during the trading day to close at 4,052.59 points compared with the preceding session’s 3,978.95 points, while the market capitalisation added N5.38 billion to finish at N2.424 trillion versus Thursday’s closing value of N2.380 trillion.
The price gainers were led by Okitipupa Plc, which grew by N25.00 to sell at N305.00 per share compared with the previous price of N280.00 per share. Central Securities Clearing System (CSCS) Plc gained N6.92 to close at N76.26 per unit versus N69.34 per unit, Afriland Properties Plc appreciated by N1.00 to N17.00 per share from N18.00 per share, FrieslandCampina Wamco Nigeria Plc improved by 55 Kobo to N99.55 per unit from N99.00 per unit, and Food Concepts Plc increased by 5 Kobo to N2.70 per share from N2.65 per share.
However, there was a price loser, MRS Oil, which dipped by N21.75 to N195.75 per unit from N217.50 per unit.
During the final session of the week, the value of securities jumped 75.2 per cent to N41.3 million from N23.6 million units, and the number of deals expanded by 62.9 per cent to 44 deals from 27 deals, while the volume of securities declined marginally by 0.9 per cent to 447,403 units from 451,522 units.
At the close of trades, Great Nigeria Insurance (GNI) Plc was the most traded stock by volume (year-to-date) with 3.4 billion units worth N8.4 billion, trailed by Resourcery Plc with 1.1 billion units valued at N415.7 million, and Infrastructure Guarantee Credit Plc with 400 million units traded for N1.2 billion.
GNI was also the most active stock by value (year-to-date) with 3.4 billion units sold for N8.4 billion, followed by CSCS Plc with 59.6 million units transacted for N4.0 billion, and Okitipupa Plc with 27.8 million units exchanged for N1.9 billion.
Economy
Naira Slips to N1,358/$1 as FX Reserves, Policy Uncertainty Concerns
By Adedapo Adesanya
It was not a good day for the Nigerian Naira in the currency market on Friday, April 24, as its value depreciated against the major foreign currencies at the close of transactions.
In the Nigerian Autonomous Foreign Exchange Market (NAFEX), it lost N4.53 or 0.33 per cent against the United States Dollar yesterday to trade at N1,358.44/$1, in contrast to the N1,353.91/$1 it was exchanged on Thursday.
Equally, the domestic currency slipped against the Pound Sterling in the official market during the session by N8.14 to close at N1,834.02/£1, compared with the previous rate of N1,825.88/£1 and dropped N8.01 against the Euro to sell at N1,590.73/€1 versus N1,582.72/€1.
Also, the Naira depreciated against the US Dollar at the GTBank FX desk on Friday by N4 to quote at N1,370/$1 compared with the previous session’s N1,366/$1, and at the parallel market, it depleted by N5 to settle at N1,380/$1 versus the preceding day’s N1,375/$1.
Data published by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) indicated that NFEM interbank turnover surged to N43.562 million across 68 deals, up from N28.117 million the previous day.
Despite the CBN’s reassurance that the recent drop in external reserves is not worrisome, the market remains unsettled by persistent concerns over liquidity constraints, policy transparency, and weakening confidence in Nigeria’s FX market as gross reserves continue to decline to $48.4 billion.
The outlook for the Dollar appears supported by broader macro risks, including elevated oil prices tied to the tanker traffic disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz and a continued US-Iran standoff over ceasefire negotiations.
A look at the digital currency market showed that investors are sitting on the edge as the US Dollar rebounded amid geopolitical and inflation risks despite continued inflows into US spot bitcoin Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs).
Solana (SOL) rose by 1.2 per cent to sell $86.45, Cardano (ADA) appreciated by 1.1 per cent to $0.2517, Dogecoin (DOGE) grew by 0.9 per cent to $0.0989, Ripple (XRP) improved by 0.3 per cent to $1.43, Ethereum (ETH) soared by 0.2 per cent to $2,316.83, and Binance Coin (BNB) chalked up 0.1 per cent to sell for $637.44.
However, TRON (TRX) depreciated by 1.3 per cent to $0.3235, and Bitcoin (BTC) lost 0.2 per cent to close at $77,562.27, while the US Dollar Tether (USDT) and the US Dollar Coin (USDC) closed flat at $1.00 each.
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