Economy
Stock Market Down by 0.13% as Investors Offload MTN, Cadbury
By Dipo Olowookere
The winning streaks witnessed on the floor of the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) Limited lately was halted on Thursday as profit-taking in some blue-chip equities pulled down the stock market by 0.13 per cent.
Heavyweights like MTN Nigeria, GTCO, Cadbury Nigeria and FBN Holdings came under selling pressure yesterday, bringing down the exchange at the close of transactions despite the strong investor sentiment.
Business Post reports that the market breadth closed positive on Thursday as the bourse recorded 15 appreciating stocks and 10 depreciating equities led by Capital Hotel, which dropped 9.80 per cent to sell at N2.76. Honeywell Flour declined by 9.09 per cent to N2.20, Coronation Insurance decreased by 8.11 per cent to 34 Kobo, ABC Transport crashed by 7.41 per cent to 25 Kobo, and Cadbury Nigeria depleted by 4.46 per cent to N10.70.
However, the shares of Chams grew by 9.09 per cent during the session to 24 Kobo, RT Briscoe expanded by 7.69 per cent to 28 Kobo, PZ Cussons inflated by 5.50 per cent to N11.50, Livestock Feeds improved by 4.50 per cent to N1.16, and Ecobank increased by 2.86 per cent to N10.80.
Analysis of the sectorial performance showed that the energy index remained unchanged, the industrial goods and the banking counters closed higher by 1.11 per cent and 0.46 per cent apiece, while the insurance and the consumer goods sectors declined by 0.48 per cent and 0.06 per cent, respectively.
As a result, the All-Share Index (ASI) of the NGX slacked by 61.35 points to 48,365.14 points from 48,426.49 points, while the market capitalisation went down by N34 billion to N26.343 trillion from N26.377 trillion.
Yesterday, investors transacted 148.2 million shares worth N3.0 billion in 3,391 deals compared with the 146.2 million shares worth N3.4 billion traded in the midweek session in 2,810 deals, indicating a decline in the trading value by 11.77 per cent, an increase in the trading volume by 1.37 per cent, and a surge in the number of trades by 20.61 per cent.
The most attractive stock for the session was Ecobank, as it sold 23.4 million units and was trailed by FBN Holdings, which traded 25.8 million units. Transcorp exchanged 12.9 million units, Access Holdings transacted 9.6 million units, and Sterling Bank traded 9.2 million units.
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
Nigeria slightly surpassed its quota set by the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) in July 2026.
In the month under review, the country produced about 1.57 million barrels of crude oil per day.
It was the third consecutive month Africa’s largest oil-producing nation was meeting its monthly quota, set to stabilise the price of the commodity on the global market by the oil cartel.
Data released by the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) on Wednesday showed that the 1.5 million barrels per day ceiling for Nigeria was surpassed last month.
The agency disclosed in a statement today that the country produced 1.505mbpd of crude oil and 0.17mbpd of condensate, bringing the combined daily production to 1.67mbpd.
In the month under review, the daily peak production of crude oil and condensate was 1.78mbpd, while the lowest daily production was 1.57mbpd.
Although Nigeria met its OPEC quota in the month of July, the statistics show that on a month-on-month basis, production fell by 4 per cent.
This was attributed to the decline in production due to operational challenges experienced at the Erha and Akpo fields, which impacted crude oil output during the period under review.
These disruptions constrained production volumes and contributed significantly to the overall reduction in national crude oil output.
Despite the challenges, production operations across most other producing assets remained relatively stable, with operators implementing measures aimed at maintaining production efficiency and minimising the impact of operational constraints, NUPRC stated.
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
The over 9 billion shares of Lasaco Assurance Plc issued to shareholders of the company via a rights issue have been listed on the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) Limited.
The equities were brought to Customs Street on Wednesday by the organisation, increasing its total issued and fully paid-up share capital.
Lasaco Assurance, which scaled the recapitalisation hurdle of the National Insurance Commission (NAICOM) in July 2026, raised fresh capital from the capital market to shore up its capital base.
The underwriting firm got about N18.5 billion from the rights issue, which involved the issuance of 9,236,321,546 ordinary shares at a unit price of N2.00.
The exercise was on the basis of five new ordinary shares for every existing six ordinary shares held as of the close of business on Friday, February 20, 2026.
Confirming the listing of the additional stocks of Lasaco Assurance today, the Head of Issuer Regulation Department of NGX RegCo, Mr Godstime Iwenekhai, announced in a circular that, “Trading licence holders are hereby notified that an additional 9,236,321,546 ordinary shares of 50 Kobo each of Lasaco Assurance Plc were today, Wednesday, August 12, 2026, listed on the daily official list of Nigerian Exchange Limited.
“The additional shares arose from the company’s rights issue of 9,236,321,546 ordinary shares of 50 Kobo each at N2.00 per share on the basis of five new ordinary shares for every existing six ordinary shares held as of the close of business on Friday, February 20, 2026.
“With the listing of the additional 9,236,321,546 ordinary shares, the total issued and fully paid-up share capital of Lasaco Assurance Plc has now increased from 11,083,585,855 to 20,319,907,401 ordinary shares of 50 Kobo each.”
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Nigerian Insurers Association (NIA) has said the successful recapitalisation of the insurance industry will strengthen the sector’s ability to support financial stability and economic growth.
NIA Chairman, Mrs Ebelechukwu Nwachukwu, said a well-capitalised insurance industry would be better positioned to meet its obligations promptly, underwrite complex and large-scale risks and serve as a dependable pillar of the Nigerian economy.
She made the remarks while commending the National Insurance Commission (NAICOM) for its structured implementation of the new minimum capital requirements under the Nigerian Insurance Industry Reform Act (NIIRA) 2025.
Mrs Nwachukwu said NAICOM’s clear guidelines, systematic verification process, defined timelines and rigorous supervision had provided operators with a credible framework for navigating the recapitalisation exercise.
She described the outcome as a major milestone for the industry and congratulated the 43 insurance and reinsurance companies that have successfully met the prescribed minimum capital requirements.
According to her, the exercise represents “a major win not just for regulators and operators, but for policyholders, investors and the wider Nigerian economy.”
Mrs Nwachukwu said the association would continue to work with NAICOM and other stakeholders to consolidate the gains of the exercise, with emphasis on sustainable industry growth, stronger market conduct and improved consumer confidence.
The official also expressed solidarity with the eight companies still undergoing final verification and regulatory review, urging them to remain confident as NAICOM completes the process within the 14-day review period.
The NIA chairman assured policyholders and the wider business community that the insurance industry would emerge from the recapitalisation exercise stronger, more resilient and better positioned to contribute to Nigeria’s economic development.
