By Adedapo Adesanya

The NASD Over-the-Counter (OTC) Securities Exchange appreciated by 1.00 per cent on Tuesday, June 17 after four stocks ended in green territory.

Central Securities Clearing System (CSCS) Plc gained N2.90 to close at N31.90 per share compared with the previous day’s N29.00 per share, FrieslandCampina Wamco Nigeria Plc improved its value by N2.81 to settle at N71.31 per unit compared with Monday’s price of N68.50 per unit, Air Liquide Plc appreciated by 89 Kobo to end at N9.97 per share versus the N9.08 per share it was sold a day earlier, and UBN Property Plc added 6 Kobo to its value to finish at N2.24 per unit, in contrast to the preceding day’s N2.18 per unit.

As a result, the market capitalisation of the platform rose by N19.42 billion to N1.967 trillion from N1.947 trillion and the NASD Unlisted Security Index (NSI) increased by 33.17 points to 3,359.50 points from the previous session’s 3,326.33 points.

Yesterday, the volume of securities jumped by 33.3 per cent to 639,427 units from the 479,638 units traded in the previous trading day, the value of securities went up by 8.3 per cent to N23.6 million from N21.8 million, and the number of deals declined by 5.4 per cent to 35 deals from 37 deals.

At the close of business, Impresit Bakolori Plc remained the most traded stock by volume on a year-to-date basis with 536.9 million units worth N524.7 million, followed by Air Liquide Plc with 507.2 million units sold for N4.2 billion, and Geo-Fluids Plc with 268.4 million units valued at N475.7 million.

Also, Okitipupa Plc was the most active stock by value on a year-to-date basis with the sale of 153.7 million units for N4.9 billion, trailed by Air Liquide Plc with 507.2 million units traded for N4.2 billion, and FrieslandCampina Wamco Nigeria Plc with a turnover of 39.5 million units valued at N1.6 billion.

By Adedapo Adesanya

The Naira appreciated against the United States Dollar by N0.59 per cent or N9.28 in the Nigerian Autonomous Foreign Exchange Market (NAFEM) segment on Tuesday, June 17 to N1,545.29/$1 from the previous day’s value of N1,554.57/$1.

Also, the Naira gained against the Pound Sterling in the spot market during the session by N6.54 to sell for N2,094.92/£1 versus the preceding day’s N2,101.46/£1 and strengthened against the Euro by N5.59 to trade at N1,786.33/€1, in contrast to Monday’s value of N1,791.92/€1.

Similarly, the Nigerian currency improved its value on the greenback in the parallel market yesterday by N5 to quote at N1,585/$1 compared with the N1,590/$1 it was traded a day earlier.

It was observed that the domestic currency has started to regain its feet in the forex market segments because of the cooling inflation.

Nigeria’s headline inflation rate eased further to 22.97 per cent in May 2025, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), compared with the 23.71 per cent it recorded in April 2025.

This development will support sustained investor confidence and market optimism boosted by offshore FX inflows as well as boosting local production, easing FX pressure, and strengthening non-oil exports over the last few months.

Also, the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr Wale Edun, assured that the federal government was committed to deepening alignment of Nigeria’s fiscal and monetary policies to stimulate economic growth following discussions with the Governor of the Central Bank of Governor (CBN), Mr Yemi Cardoso.

Meanwhile, the cryptocurrency market turned red on Tuesday, triggered by military escalation between Israel and Iran. This kept traders cautious especially as President Donald Trump threatened Iran’s supreme leader amid the Middle East clash.

Solana (SOL) fell by 3.8 per cent to $147.14, Ripple (XRP) lost 3.5 per cent to trade at $2.15, Cardano (ADA) went down by 2.8 per cent to $0.6142, and Ethereum (ETH) fell by 2.3 per cent to $2,524.69.

Further, Bitcoin (BTC) declined by 1.8 per cent to $105,001.59, Dogecoin (DOGE) slumped by 1.8 per cent to sell at $0.1704, Litecoin (LTC) depreciated by 1.6 per cent to $84.94, and Binance Coin (BNB) slid by 0.9 per cent to $651.63, while the US Dollar Tether (USDT) and the US Dollar Coin (USDC) traded flat at $1.00 each.

By Adedapo Adesanya

The prices of the crude oil grades climbed over 4 per cent on Tuesday as the Iran-Israel conflict heightened, raising worries even though major oil and gas infrastructure and flows have not been affected.

Brent crude futures settled at $76.45 a barrel after it gained $3.22 or 4.4  per cent and the US West Texas Intermediate crude future finished at $74.84 a barrel, up by $3.07 or 4.28 per cent.

The continuing exchange of airstrikes between Israel and Iran returned geopolitical risk to oil markets already aware of a tight supply and demand balance.

Traders are also weighing the possibility of a US strike on Iran, which has intensified since Israel began its attacks last week as some believe that the US possesses weapons capable of destroying Iranian enrichment facilities buried deep underground.

Also, a collision of two oil tankers near the Strait of Hormuz, where electronic interference has increased during the conflict, highlighted the possibility that the vital waterway for oil shipments could be cut off.

However, market analysts say that there is little possibility of closing the waterway, given that Iran would lose revenue and the US wants lower oil prices and lower inflation.

Despite the potential for disruption, there were signs oil supplies remain ample amid expectations of lower demand.

Israel’s assault on Iran’s military leadership and nuclear facilities poses the greatest threat in decades to the Islamic Republic’s leadership. The regime has endured “blow after blow” since the Israel-Hamas war erupted in October 2023, The New York Times wrote, including the weakening of its proxies in Lebanon, Gaza, and Yemen.

In its monthly oil report on Tuesday, the International Energy Agency (IEA) revised its world oil demand estimate downwards by 20,000 barrels per day from last month’s forecast and increased the supply estimate by 200,000 barrels per day to 1.8 million barrels per day.

The American Petroleum Institute (API) estimated that crude oil inventories in the US fell sharply, by 10.133 million barrels in the week ending June 13. The API reported a 337,000 barrel inventory decrease in the prior week.

So far this year, crude oil inventories are up 7.6 million barrels.

Official data from the US Energy Information Administration (EIA) will be released later on Wednesday.