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Economy

Stock Exchange Sheds 1.32% as Inflation Sways Investors

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Lagos Customs Street stock exchange

By Dipo Olowookere

The local stock exchange lost 1.32 per cent on Thursday, putting a halt to the two-day positive momentum triggered by the suspension of Mr Godwin Emefiele as the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) governor.

Business Post observed that investors were swayed by the inflation numbers released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) during the trading session.

According to the NBS, inflation for May 2023 increased by 22.41 per cent as a result of the surge in the prices of food in Nigeria.

This information rattled traders at the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) Limited, causing profit-taking as they liquidate their equities for cash, though their eyes remain on some downstream stocks in the market.

This resulted in the 12.12 per cent growth posted by the energy sector at the close of transactions.

However, this was not enough to keep the market northwards, as it pointed to the opposite direction after the banking index lost 4.16 per cent, the insurance space crashed by 0.67 per cent, the consumer goods index fell by 0.44 per cent, and the industrial goods counter depreciated by 0.21 per cent.

Consequently, the All-Share Index (ASI) moderated by 789.89 points to 59,195.21 points from 59,985.10 points, while the market capitalisation deflated by N430 billion to N32.232 trillion from N32.662 trillion.

Investor sentiment was weak yesterday as 40 stocks finished on the losers’ chart and 36 stocks ended on the gainers’ table, indicating a negative market breadth index.

Sunu Assurances lost 10.00 per cent to trade at 45 Kobo, Cornerstone Insurance fell by 9.73 per cent to N1.02, McNichols depreciated by 9.33 per cent to 68 Kobo, Access Holdings went down by 9.24 per cent to N14.25, and RT Briscoe declined by 8.82 per cent to 31 Kobo.

During the session, the trio of MRS Oil, Transcorp Hotel, and Total Energies gained 10.00 per cent each to quote at N68.75, N13.31, and N336.70 apiece, as Ikeja Hotel rose by 9.97 per cent to N3.31, and eTranzact improved by 9.92 per cent to N5.32.

The most traded stock on Thursday was UBA, which exchanged 192.8 million units valued at N2.4 billion, Access Holdings traded 121.5 million units valued at N2.0 billion, Fidelity Bank transacted 102.6 million units worth N726.7 million, GTCO exchanged 99.9 million units worth N3.3 billion, and Sterling Bank sold 79.3 million units for N238.3 million.

Data from the bourse revealed that investors traded 1.2 billion equities worth N15.4 billion in 12,611 deals yesterday compared with the 1.3 billion worth N21.1 billion traded in 11,947 deals a day earlier, implying an increase in the number of deals by 5.56 per cent, and a decline in the trading volume and value by 7.69 per cent and 27.01 per cent, respectively.

Dipo Olowookere is a journalist based in Nigeria that has passion for reporting business news stories. At his leisure time, he watches football and supports 3SC of Ibadan. Mr Olowookere can be reached via [email protected]

Economy

CAC Introduces Direct Payment Option to Ease Business Registration

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business registration in Nigeria

By Adedapo Adesanya

Businesses operating in Nigeria can now register easily as the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) introduces a direct payment option on its portal.

A statement posted on the commission’s handle on X (formerly Twitter) on Wednesday noted that the move is aimed at streamlining registration services as well as optimising the portal for efficiency.

“The Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) wishes to notify its esteemed customers that payments for the following filings can now be conveniently made directly on our portal via ReVOps on the Intelligent Company Registration Portal (iCRP),” it announced.

The Revenue Optimisation and Assurance Project (REV-OP) was launched last year to strengthen public financial management.

The initiative focuses on blocking revenue leakages and improving transparency across government agencies.

It is built on three pillars: transparency, efficiency, and digital transformation.

The new payment systems allow users to pay for services through ReVOps on its Intelligent Company Registration Portal (iCRP).

Before now, the previous payment structure relied on the Remita gateway, which supported debit cards, bank transfers, and branch payments.

According to the Commission, the initiative is part of efforts to improve service delivery and streamline its processes for users.

The CAC listed services now eligible for direct payment include Annual Returns Filing, Change of Business Address, Cessation of Business, Change of Name, and Change of Objects.

It added that other services, such as Change of Proprietor or Partner details, are Certified True.

The move aligns with the federal government’s broader push to digitise public finance and improve revenue collection through technology.

REV-OP enables real-time monitoring and data-driven decision-making, marking a shift toward a more technology-driven approach to government revenue systems.

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Economy

Nigerians Pay More to Buy Eggs, Beans, Garri

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garri beans eggs

By Adedapo Adesanya

Nigerians paid more to buy staple foods, including eggs, beans, and garri, in March 2026 compared with what they paid in the preceding month, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).

The agency, in its Selected Food Prices Watch report for March 2026, released on Wednesday, said that the average price of eggs (a crate of 30 pieces) on a month-on-month basis went up by 2.00 per cent from N6,007.35 in February 2026.

However, the price of the proteinous meal decreased by 20.12 per cent on a year-on-year basis from N7,670.56 recorded in March 2025 to N6,127.63 in March 2026.

Similarly, the report said that the average price of 1kg of brown beans decreased by 49.39 per cent on a year-on-year basis from N2,616.26 in March 2025 to N1,325.85 in March 2026, but on a month-on-month basis, the price increased by 1.41 per cent from the N1,307.44 recorded in February 2026. It also showed the average price of 1kg of white garri decreased by 41.19 per cent on a year-on-year basis from N1,362.96 in March 2025 to N801.4 in March 2026, and on a month-on-month basis, it rose by 1.38 per cent from the N790.62 recorded in February 2026.

The report said that the average price of 1kg of onion decreased by 19.63 per cent from N1,434.85 recorded in March 2025 to N1,153.14 in March 2026. On a month-on-month basis, 1kg of onions increased by 1,59 per cent in March from the N1,135.12 recorded in February 2026.

The report said the average price of 1kg of fresh ginger increased by 20.46 per cent from the N4,600.23 recorded in March 2025 to N5,541.25 in March 2026. On a month-on-month basis, 1kg of ginger increased by 0.61 per cent in March from the N5,507.43 recorded in February 2026.

However, it said the average price of one litre of palm oil decreased by 4.71 per cent on a year-on-year basis from N2,511.77 recorded in March 2025 to N2,393.38 in March 2026.

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Economy

NASD Exchange Rises 1%

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NASD Exchange bullish

By Adedapo Adesanya

Four securities buoyed the NASD Over-the-Counter (OTC) Securities Exchange by 1.00 per cent on Wednesday, May 6.

During the session, 11 Plc soared by N19.10 to sell at N210.10 per unit compared with the previous day’s N191.00 per unit, FrieslandCampina Wamco Nigeria Plc gained N9.90 to close at N116.80 per share versus N106.90 per share, Food Concepts Plc rose by 23 Kobo to N2.59 per unit from N2.36 per unit, and IPWA Plc increased by 3 Kobo to trade at N7.3o per share compared with the preceding day’s N7.27 per share.

As a result, the market capitalisation went up by N24.32 billion to N2.454 trillion from N2.429 trillion, and the NASD Unlisted Security Index (NSI) grew by 40.64 points to 4,101.58 points from 4,060.94 points.

It was observed that at midweek, there were two price decliners led by Okitipupa Plc, which shrank by N5.00 to finish at N300.00 per unit compared with the previous day’s N305.00 per unit, and Central Securities Clearing System (CSCS) Plc dipped by N1.14 to N76.00 per share from N77.14 per share.

The volume of securities traded by investors fell by 9.5 per cent to 506,651 units from the 679,768 units recorded a day earlier, and the number of deals slid by 15.9 per cent to 37 deals from 44 deals, while the value of securities went up by 25.5 per cent to N44.8 million from the N30.9 million recorded on Tuesday.

At the close of business, Great Nigeria Insurance (GNI) Plc remained the most traded stock by value on a year-to-date basis, with 3.4 billion units valued at N8.4 billion, followed by CSCS Plc with 60.3 million units exchanged for N4.1 billion, and Okitipupa Plc with 27.8 million units traded for N1.9 billion.

GNI Plc also ended the session as the most traded stock by volume on a year-to-date basis, with 3.4 billion units worth N8.4 billion, trailed by Resourcery Plc with 1.1 billion units sold for N415.7 million, and Infrastructure Guarantee Credit Plc with 400 million units transacted for N1.2 billion.

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