Economy
Stocks Gain N98bn as Index Closes 0.72% Higher
By Dipo Olowookere
The bullish run on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) was extended on Monday after the market closed 0.72 per cent higher on the back of the 188.37 points rise in the All-Share Index (ASI) to 26,507.84 points from 26,319.47 points.
During the session, stocks gained N98 billion, which pushed the market capitalisation to N13.853 trillion from N13.755 trillion.
This was supported by the high level of activity as investors showed confidence in the market, buying more equities for capital appreciation ahead of the forthcoming earnings season next month.
At the close of transactions, the trading volume increased by 0.32 per cent to 336.8 million from 335.7 million, while trading value dropped 5.80 per cent to N4.0 billion from N4.3 billion, with the number of deals rising by 8.77 per cent to 4,602 from 4,231.
Zenith Bank was investors’ delight on Monday, trading 89.5 million units worth N1.6 billion and was trailed by Sterling Bank, which traded 72.3 million units valued at N85.3 million.
UBA transacted 42.4 million shares worth N259.0 million, FCMB exchanged 27.9 million equities for N58.4 million, while GTBank traded 14.7 million shares for N396.2 million.
Business Post observed that the major sub-sectors of the market performed well yesterday, with the insurance index appreciating by 1.82 per cent.
The oil/gas index rose by 1.33 per cent, the industrial goods counter gained 0.53 per cent, the same as the consumer goods, while the banking space grew by 0.26 per cent.
The highest price gainer of the session was Total Nigeria, which gained N8 to settle at N88 per share, while MTN Nigeria appreciated by N2.50 to finish at N126.50 per unit.
Okomu Oil appreciated by N2 to sell for N80 per share, BUA Cement rose by N1.85 to close at N40.40 per unit, while Lafarge Africa gained 95 kobo to trade at N16 per unit.
At the other end, Seplat led the price losers chart after shedding N2 to close at N398 per unit, while May & Baker depreciated by 17 kobo to trade at N2.90 per unit.
Caverton lost 11 kobo to end at N1.73 per share, UAC Property went down by 10 kobo to 90 kobo per unit, while University Press fell by 9 kobo to N1.33 per share.
Economy
BNB Price Reflects Changing Dynamics in the Digital Asset Market
Economy
NASD Unlisted Security Index Crosses 4,000-point Benchmark Again
By Adedapo Adesanya
The NASD Over-the-Counter (OTC) Securities Exchange achieved a milestone on Friday, April 24, 2026, after five securities on the platform helped with a 1.85 per cent growth.
Data showed that the NASD Unlisted Security Index (NSI) again crossed the 4,000-point benchmark yesterday.
The index chalked up 73.64 points during the trading day to close at 4,052.59 points compared with the preceding session’s 3,978.95 points, while the market capitalisation added N5.38 billion to finish at N2.424 trillion versus Thursday’s closing value of N2.380 trillion.
The price gainers were led by Okitipupa Plc, which grew by N25.00 to sell at N305.00 per share compared with the previous price of N280.00 per share. Central Securities Clearing System (CSCS) Plc gained N6.92 to close at N76.26 per unit versus N69.34 per unit, Afriland Properties Plc appreciated by N1.00 to N17.00 per share from N18.00 per share, FrieslandCampina Wamco Nigeria Plc improved by 55 Kobo to N99.55 per unit from N99.00 per unit, and Food Concepts Plc increased by 5 Kobo to N2.70 per share from N2.65 per share.
However, there was a price loser, MRS Oil, which dipped by N21.75 to N195.75 per unit from N217.50 per unit.
During the final session of the week, the value of securities jumped 75.2 per cent to N41.3 million from N23.6 million units, and the number of deals expanded by 62.9 per cent to 44 deals from 27 deals, while the volume of securities declined marginally by 0.9 per cent to 447,403 units from 451,522 units.
At the close of trades, Great Nigeria Insurance (GNI) Plc was the most traded stock by volume (year-to-date) with 3.4 billion units worth N8.4 billion, trailed by Resourcery Plc with 1.1 billion units valued at N415.7 million, and Infrastructure Guarantee Credit Plc with 400 million units traded for N1.2 billion.
GNI was also the most active stock by value (year-to-date) with 3.4 billion units sold for N8.4 billion, followed by CSCS Plc with 59.6 million units transacted for N4.0 billion, and Okitipupa Plc with 27.8 million units exchanged for N1.9 billion.
Economy
Naira Slips to N1,358/$1 as FX Reserves, Policy Uncertainty Concerns
By Adedapo Adesanya
It was not a good day for the Nigerian Naira in the currency market on Friday, April 24, as its value depreciated against the major foreign currencies at the close of transactions.
In the Nigerian Autonomous Foreign Exchange Market (NAFEX), it lost N4.53 or 0.33 per cent against the United States Dollar yesterday to trade at N1,358.44/$1, in contrast to the N1,353.91/$1 it was exchanged on Thursday.
Equally, the domestic currency slipped against the Pound Sterling in the official market during the session by N8.14 to close at N1,834.02/£1, compared with the previous rate of N1,825.88/£1 and dropped N8.01 against the Euro to sell at N1,590.73/€1 versus N1,582.72/€1.
Also, the Naira depreciated against the US Dollar at the GTBank FX desk on Friday by N4 to quote at N1,370/$1 compared with the previous session’s N1,366/$1, and at the parallel market, it depleted by N5 to settle at N1,380/$1 versus the preceding day’s N1,375/$1.
Data published by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) indicated that NFEM interbank turnover surged to N43.562 million across 68 deals, up from N28.117 million the previous day.
Despite the CBN’s reassurance that the recent drop in external reserves is not worrisome, the market remains unsettled by persistent concerns over liquidity constraints, policy transparency, and weakening confidence in Nigeria’s FX market as gross reserves continue to decline to $48.4 billion.
The outlook for the Dollar appears supported by broader macro risks, including elevated oil prices tied to the tanker traffic disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz and a continued US-Iran standoff over ceasefire negotiations.
A look at the digital currency market showed that investors are sitting on the edge as the US Dollar rebounded amid geopolitical and inflation risks despite continued inflows into US spot bitcoin Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs).
Solana (SOL) rose by 1.2 per cent to sell $86.45, Cardano (ADA) appreciated by 1.1 per cent to $0.2517, Dogecoin (DOGE) grew by 0.9 per cent to $0.0989, Ripple (XRP) improved by 0.3 per cent to $1.43, Ethereum (ETH) soared by 0.2 per cent to $2,316.83, and Binance Coin (BNB) chalked up 0.1 per cent to sell for $637.44.
However, TRON (TRX) depreciated by 1.3 per cent to $0.3235, and Bitcoin (BTC) lost 0.2 per cent to close at $77,562.27, while the US Dollar Tether (USDT) and the US Dollar Coin (USDC) closed flat at $1.00 each.
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