Economy
Oil Prices Jump on Expected Growth in US Economy
By Adedapo Adesanya
Oil prices edged higher on Tuesday on the projected healthier outlook of the United States economy, but bearish data on China’s crude imports and exports weighed.
Brent crude futures gained 83 cents to settle at $86.17 a barrel, while the US West Texas Intermediate crude rose 98 cents to $82.92 per barrel.
Both contracts had fallen by $2 earlier in the session, but prices reversed course after a monthly report from the US Energy Information Administration (EIA) projected gross domestic product growth to rise by 1.9 per cent in 2023, up from 1.5 per cent in a previous forecast.
The EIA also expects Brent crude oil prices to average $86 in the second half of 2023, up about $7 from the previous forecast.
It also forecast that crude production in the US, the largest consumer of the commodity, is expected to rise by 850,000 barrels per day to a record 12.76 million barrels per day in 2023, the report added, overtaking the last peak of 12.3 million barrels per day in 2019.
Crude prices have been rising since June, primarily because of extended voluntary cuts to Saudi Arabia’s crude oil production as well as increasing global demand.
“We expect these factors will continue to reduce global oil inventories and put upward pressure on oil prices in the coming months,” the EIA said.
Rising global oil production in 2024 is expected to keep pace with oil demand and put downward pressure on crude oil prices beginning in the second quarter of 2024, it added.
However, numbers out of China, the world’s second-largest economy, impacted the gains as July oil imports were down 18.8 per cent from the previous month to the lowest daily rate since January but still up 17 per cent from a year earlier.
Overall, China’s imports contracted by 12.4 per cent in July, far steeper than the expected 5 per cent drop. Exports fell by 14.5 per cent, compared with a fall of 12.5 per cent expected.
Despite the gloomy data, some analysts were still positive about China’s fuel demand outlook for August to early October.
The peak season for construction and manufacturing activity starts in September, and gasoline consumption should benefit from summer travel demand, according to analysts.
Crude oil inventories in the US unexpectedly rose unexpectedly this week by 4.067 million barrels, the American Petroleum Institute (API) data showed on Tuesday—just one week after seeing the largest dip in inventories ever of 15.4 million barrels.
Analysts were expecting a draw of 233,000 barrels in U.S. crude-oil inventories. The total number of barrels of crude oil gained so far this year is nearly 24 million barrels, according to API data, although there is a net draw in crude inventories since April of 23 million barrels.
US government data from the EIA on stockpiles is due on Wednesday.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), Mr Heineken Lokpobiri, has said ongoing reforms and strategic policy implementation in Nigeria’s petroleum sector are driving significant investments and strengthening the country’s position as a leading energy destination in Africa.
Mr Lokpobiri stated this at the Management Retreat of the Ministry of Petroleum Resources, where he stressed the need for improved institutional performance and accountability to sustain growth in the sector.
According to the Minister, the federal government has deliberately pursued far-reaching reforms aimed at creating a stable and investor-friendly environment capable of attracting local and foreign capital into the oil and gas industry.
“From far-reaching institutional reforms to the effective implementation of strategic policies, we have remained committed to carrying all stakeholders along, fostering a conducive environment for investments to flourish,” Mr Lokpobiri said.
“As a result, our petroleum sector has witnessed significant investments that continue to strengthen Nigeria’s position as a leading energy destination.”
The Minister noted that the gains recorded in the sector were the product of collective efforts across the Ministry and its agencies, commending staff for their dedication and professionalism.
“The Management Retreat of the Ministry of Petroleum Resources provided an important platform to reiterate that these accomplishments would not have been possible without the collective dedication, professionalism and teamwork of every staff member across the Ministry and its agencies,” he stated.
Mr Lokpobiri said the retreat, themed Driving Institutional Performance and Accountability in the Petroleum Sector for Sustainable National Development, underscored the importance of continuous improvement in service delivery and operational efficiency.
Drawing lessons from the theme, he urged officials of the Ministry and regulatory agencies to intensify efforts toward enhancing institutional effectiveness and strengthening governance frameworks.
“I encouraged that we must redouble our efforts, continuously improve the quality of our services, and strengthen institutional performance,” he said.
The Minister further emphasised the continued relevance of fossil fuels in the global energy mix, stressing that Nigeria must leverage its hydrocarbon resources to drive economic growth while ensuring citizens benefit from ongoing reforms.
“With fossil fuel as the dominant source of energy, we must ensure that Nigerians experience the benefits of our progress and that Nigeria remains the preferred investment destination in Africa and a globally competitive hub for energy investments,” Mr Lokpobiri added.
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
The N3.2 billion rights issue of Universal Insurance Plc has been extended by almost two weeks after securing regulatory approval.
The exercise was earlier scheduled to close on June 10, 2026, but will now close on Monday, June 22, 2026.
The extension was granted by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) after a request from the underwriting organisation.
In the rights issue, Universal Insurance is offering to shareholders 2,666,666,667 ordinary shares of 50 Kobo each at N1.20 per share on the basis of one new ordinary share for every existing six ordinary shares held as of the close of business on Monday, March 30, 2026.
Subscription for the acquisition of the company’s extra shares opened on Wednesday, May 13, 2026.
The extension gives investors more time to increase their stake in the insurance firm, which intends to use proceeds from the exercise to boost its capital base, as mandated by the National Insurance Commission (NAICOM).
Insurance companies operating in Nigeria have been given till July 31, 2026, to shore up their capital base or pack up. Operators can also explore a merger if they wish.
By Dipo Olowookere
The Nigerian Exchange (NGX) Limited opened its doors to market participants in four days last week as a result of a public holiday observed on Friday, June 12, for 2026 Democracy Day in the country.
In the week, investors bought and sold 4.964 billion shares worth N207.521 billion in 235,966 deals, as against the 3.966 billion shares valued at N175.659 billion that exchanged hands in 343,587 deals a week earlier.
Analysis showed that the financial services industry led the activity chart with 4.116 billion shares valued at N84.607 billion in 96,165 deals, contributing 82.92 per cent and 40.77 per cent to the total trading volume and value, respectively.
The services sector transacted 232.479 million shares worth N4.955 billion in 17,614 deals, while the industrial goods segment exchanged 144.988 million shares worth N39.077 billion in 24,775 deals.
Sterling Holdings, FCMB, and Access Holdings were the most traded stocks with 2.883 billion units sold for N36.188 billion in 15,533 deals, accounting for 58.09 per cent and 17.44 per cent of the total trading volume and value, respectively.
A total of 40 equities appreciated in the week versus 23 equities in the previous week, 53 equities depreciated versus 65 equities a week earlier, and 53 equities remained unchanged versus 58 equities in the preceding week.
ABC Transport was the best-performing equity for the week after it gained 25.60 per cent to trade at N7.80, Consolidated Hallmark appreciated by 23.13 per cent to N8.25, Abbey Mortgage Bank rose by 21.93 per cent to N11.40, Infinity Trust Mortgage Bank grew by 20.32 per cent to N11.25, and Austin Laz soared by 15.16 per cent to N4.33.
The worst-performing equity last week was Fidson Healthcare because of its 25.86 per cent loss, closing at N101.20. Neimeth declined by 19.14 per cent to N8.55, Union Homes REIT shed 17.36 per cent to close at N70.00, SUNU Assurances slipped by 11.38 per cent to N3.97, and Unilever Nigeria dropped 10.26 per cent to trade at N140.00.
As for the index movement, the All-Share Index (ASI) and the market capitalisation chalked up 0.88 per cent each to settle at 244,738.74 points and N156.970 trillion, respectively.
Similarly, all other indices finished higher apart from the pension, AFR Bank Value, MERI Growth, MERI Value, consumer goods, Lotus II, industrial goods, sovereign bond and commodity indices, which fell by 0.03 per cent, 1.20 per cent, 0.21 per cent, 1.61 per cent, 0.54 per cent, 0.51 per cent, 1.00 per cent, 2.04 per cent and 0.34 per cent, respectively.
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