Economy
NSE to Unlock Investment Opportunities in ETF Market
By Dipo Olowookere
Investors in search of new investment opportunities can consider the Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) market for value creation, the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) has suggested.
The market value of ETFs in Nigeria reached N24.5 billion last year and there is the possibility for it to grow bigger because a year earlier, the capitalisation was 270 per cent lower.
In 2020, the space witnessed significant increases in traded values and volumes (i.e., 218.0 per cent and 51,830.6 per cent respectively between 2019 and 2020).
The factor responsible for the rise was the adoption of ETFs, new product issuances as well as fungibility of some of the listed funds.
Since 2011, the supply-side has deepened from a single ETF tracking the price of gold to 12 ETFs currently offering exposure to equities, fixed income, commodities including Newgold ETF; Vetiva Griffin 30 ETF; Lotus Halal Equity ETF; Stanbic IBTC 30 ETF; Vetiva Banking ETF; Vetiva Consumer Goods ETF; Vetiva Industrial ETF; Vetiva S & P Nigeria Sovereign Bond ETF; The SIAML Pension ETF 40; Greenwich Alpha ETF; Meristem Growth ETF; and Meristem Value ETF.
Earlier this month, the NSE had discussions with issuers of ETFs as part of the exchange’s commitment to deepening activities in the segment.
During the meeting, which was held virtually, both parties discussed key development areas for the market, specifically in terms of product issuances, market liquidity, regulatory landscape and capacity building.
At the event, the Divisional Head of Trading Business at the NSE. Mr Jude Chiemeka, reaffirmed the exchange’s determination to work together with stakeholders to deepen the existing suite of available investments as well as improving the general landscape of the market.
He also expressed satisfaction with the improvements in the market, noting that ETFs are one of the fastest-growing capital-market investment vehicles in advanced economies, offering transparency, liquidity, diversification, and lower costs.
“For an emerging market like Nigeria, the ETF marketplace represents a meaningful opportunity to support the development of domestic capital markets, leading to greater price transparency, investor diversification, and liquidity across a wider range of instruments.
“Today, the NSE prides itself in its position as the second-largest ETF market in Africa with a market capitalisation of N24.5 billion as at December 31, 2020, up by 270 per cent from 2019,” he said.
ETFs are a type of investment fund very similar to the mutual fund. ETFs involve a combination of securities like equities, bonds, commodities, etc, in one basket, which can be transacted as a whole on the stock exchange.
Business Post reports that last year, when some foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) could not repatriate their funds from the country because of a shortage in foreign exchange as a result of a decline in crude oil prices, they turned to the EFTs market, buying the Newgold Issuer Limited ETF in Nigeria to sell in South Africa, where they could easily get FX.
This was one of the reasons the market witnessed a significant rise in transactions last year.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) has disclosed that Nigeria’s tax to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) ratio has been upwardly reviewed to 10.86 per cent from the 6 per cent earlier reported to reflect better data sources and improved estimation using the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) manual.
The OECD manual is an improvement over the System of National Accounts (SNA 2008) classification of taxes.
Although the System of National Accounts conceptual framework and its definitions of the various sectors of the economy are reflected in the OECD’s classification of taxes, the OECD classifications provide the maximum disaggregation of statistical data on what is generally regarded as taxes by tax administrations.
In a disclosure, the statistics office said the country’s total tax revenue compared with its GDP was at that level in 2021, higher than 8.40 per cent in 2020, which was impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
In the previous year, the ratio was 10.20 per cent, marginally lower than the 10.36 per cent recorded in 2018 but higher than the 9.02 per cent in 2017.
The NBS said the revised computation considered more comprehensive coverage of data at the federal, state, and local government levels and revenue items not previously included in the computations, particularly relevant revenue collected by other government agencies.
The review of the tax-to-GDP ratio was initiated by the Federal Inland Revenue Service, which collaborated with the Federal Ministry of Finance and the NBS for better measurement of the ratio.
The data used were sourced from the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation (OAGF), FIRS, NBS, the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), the Joint Tax Board (JTB), and other relevant agencies of government that collect revenue.
By Adedapo Adesanya
VFD Group Plc has announced its intention to list its shares on the Nigerian Exchange Group (NGX) after leaving the NASD Over-the-Counter Securities Exchange, where it has been trading its stocks for the past three years.
This development, according to analysts, is a strategic move that would allow the company to gain access to public equity markets, increase its visibility, and strengthen its financial position.
VFD Group Plc is a leading proprietary investment company with a proven track record of generating attractive returns for its investors through a variety of investment strategies.
The company has a diverse portfolio of investments in various sectors, including banking, technology, media, energy, and real estate. The group has been listed on the NASD OTC Securities Exchange since 2020.
Speaking on this big step, Mr Nonso Okpala, Group Managing Director of VFD Group, stated, “We are excited to take this next step in the evolution of our company.”
“Listing on a major stock exchange will give us access to a larger pool of investors, enhance our profile, and provide superior returns to our investors,” he added.
With the intention of listing on the NGX, the company will delist from the NASD and is subject to regulatory approvals and market conditions.
VFD Group noted that it would provide additional updates as the listing process progresses.
At the close of business on Tuesday, the securities of the organisation closed on the NASD OTC exchange at N244.88 per unit, the same rate they finished in the preceding trading session.
Business Post reports that the NASD was created to provide an avenue for public companies to transition smoothly into the country’s main stock exchange.
However, it has witnessed the movement of firms from the NGX to the NASD, especially due to the very strict regulatory requirements by the former.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The NASD Over-the-Counter (OTC) Securities Exchange registered a 0.28 per cent drop on Tuesday, June 6, as the duo of Niger Delta Exploration and Production (NDEP) Plc and FrieslandCampina WAMCO Nigeria Plc made losses.
FrieslandCampina Wamco Nigeria Plc lost N1.26 in value to trade at N69.74 per unit versus N71.00 per unit, as NDEP Plc depreciated by N1.06 to close at N245.15 per unit compared with the previous day’s N246.21 per unit.
The duo suppressed the 1 Kobo price appreciation reported by Acorn Petroleum Plc, closing at 16 Kobo per share compared with the preceding session’s 15 Kobo per share.
This development weakened the market capitalisation of the NASD OTC bourse by N2.78 billion to wrap the day at N1.005 trillion compared with Monday’s N1.008 trillion, as the NASD Unlisted Securities Index (NSI) moved down by 2.00 points to 726.86 points from 728.86 points.
At the market yesterday, the trading value slumped by 75.0 per cent as a total of N35.7 million stocks were transacted in comparison to Tuesday’s N142.9 million worth of securities.
At the close of business, the trading volume slid by 93.9 per cent to 1.4 million units from the previous day’s 22.7 million, as the number of deals carried out during the session decreased by 43.8 per cent to 27 deals from the 48 deals executed in the previous session.
Geo-Fluids Plc remained the most traded stock by volume on a year-to-date basis with a turnover of 832.1 million units valued at N1.3 billion, Industrial and General Insurance (IGI) Plc has transacted 628.3 units worth N49.5 million, while UBN Property Plc has traded 395.9 million units valued at N336.6 million.
On its part, VFD Group Plc remained the most traded stock by value on a year-to-date basis with 11.0 million units worth N2.5 billion, Geo-Fluids Plc has exchanged 832.1 million units worth N1.3 billion, and FrieslandCampina Wamco Nigeria Plc has sold 17.5 million units for N1.2 billion.
