Economy
Trade Talks Uncertainty May Weigh on US Stocks
By Investors Hub
The major U.S. index futures are pointing to a lower opening on Thursday, with stocks likely to see further downside after coming under pressure late in the previous session.
The downwardly momentum on Wall Street comes as traders are keeping a close eye on trade talks between the U.S. and China.
The U.S. delegation led by Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin is expected to raise concerns with Chinese Vice Premier Liu He about a number of China’s trade practices.
In a post to Twitter, President Donald Trump said, ?Our great financial team is in China trying to negotiate a level playing field on trade!?
?I look forward to being with President Xi in the not too distant future,? he added. ?We will always have a good (great) relationship!?
Stocks came under pressure in late-day trading on Wednesday following the Federal Reserve’s announcement of its latest monetary policy decision. The major averages pulled back firmly into negative territory, with the Dow falling to its lowest closing level in a month.
The major averages ended the day just off their lows of the session. The Dow slumped 174.07 points or 0.7 percent to 23,924.98, the Nasdaq fell 29.81 points or 0.4 percent to 7,100.90 and the S&P 500 slid 19.13 points or 0.7 percent to 2,635.67.
The sharp decline seen late in the session came after the Federal Reserve announced its widely expected decision to maintain the target range for the federal funds rate at 1.5 to 1.75 percent.
Selling pressure may have been generated by the Fed’s comments about inflation, which signaled that an interest rate hike is likely in June.
Economists pointed to a comment from the Fed indicating that the annual rate of inflation is expected to run near its symmetric 2 percent objective over the medium term.
The Fed also said risks to the economic outlook appear roughly balanced and reiterated its expectation that economic conditions will evolve in a manner that will warrant further gradual increases in interest rates.
“Officials remain on course to raise rates again in June and we expect two further 25bp rate hikes in the second half of this year,” said Andrew Hunter, U.S. Economist at Capital Economics.
The release of the Fed statement overshadowed the release of a report from payroll processor ADP showing private sector employment increased by slightly more than anticipated in the month of April.
ADP said private sector employment surged up by 204,000 jobs in April after spiking by a revised 228,000 jobs in March.
Economists had expected private sector employment to shoot up by about 200,000 jobs compared to the jump of 241,000 jobs originally reported for the previous month.
“Despite rising trade tensions, more volatile financial markets, and poor weather, businesses are adding a robust more than 200,000 jobs per month,” said Mark Zandi, chief economist of Moody’s Analytics.
He added, “At this pace, unemployment will soon be in the threes, which is rarified and risky territory, as the economy threatens to overheat.”
While the broader markets came under pressure, Apple (AAPL) held on to a strong gain after the tech giant reported fiscal second quarter results that beat analyst estimates on both the top and bottom lines.
Apple also said its board approved a new $100 billion share repurchase authorization and a 16 percent increase in its quarterly dividend.
Telecom stocks showed a significant move to the downside on the day, dragging the NYSE Arca Telecom Index down by 1.6 percent. With the drop, the index fell to its lowest closing level in six months.
Within the telecom sector, T-Mobile (TMUS) posted a steep loss despite the wireless carrier reporting better than expected first quarter results.
Considerable weakness was also visible among pharmaceutical stocks, as reflected by the 1.3 percent loss posted by the NYSE Arca Pharmaceutical Index. The index fell to a one-month closing low.
Biotechnology and transportation stocks also saw notable weakness, while some strength was visible among oil service and gold stocks.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr Wale Edun, has called on state-owned enterprises to increase standards of transparency, ethics, and performance as Nigeria pushes to build a $1 trillion economy.
Speaking at the MOFI Corporate Governance Forum in Abuja, the Minister described the newly introduced MOFI Scorecard as a vital benchmark for institutional health, designed to position state-owned enterprises for investment, growth, and long-term value creation.
According to Mr Edun, this scorecard is not just a document; it’s a test, adding that strong governance attracts capital, builds trust, and delivers real economic returns.
The two-day forum, themed Ensuring Value Creation in State-Owned Enterprises Through Better Corporate Governance, brought together CEOs, regulators, and development partners to examine how better oversight can unlock Nigeria’s public asset potential.
Referencing entities like NNPC Limited, Mr Edun noted that state-owned enterprises must be investor-ready as the government shifts from debt-heavy budgets to equity-based growth.
He also pointed to positive macro signals and falling food and fuel prices as early signs of a stabilising economy.
On his part, MOFI Chairman, Mr Shamsudeen Usman, confirmed that the scorecard will be enforced through independent assessments, including MOFI itself.
“We are not asking others to do what we haven’t already done,” he said.
Backed by the World Bank, the initiative marks a shift in how Nigeria manages public wealth, with governance now central to growth, resilience, and investor confidence.
The introduction of the governance scorecard is a testament to the Federal Government’s commitment to transforming Nigeria’s economy. As the country moves forward, one thing is clear: transparency, accountability, and growth will be the guiding principles for state-owned enterprises.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The market capitalisation of the NASD Over-the-Counter (OTC) Securities Exchange rose by 1.70 per cent or N32.36 billion on Thursday, April 10, closing at N1.925 trillion, in contrast to the N1.892 trillion quoted at the preceding session.
However, the NASD Unlisted Security Index (NSI) went up by 10.46 points or 0.32 per cent to 3,287.85 points from the 3,277.39 points it ended a day earlier.
The market capitalisation was higher yesterday after admitting additional shares of Infrastructure Credit Guarantee Company Plc (InfraCredit) to the platform after regulatory approval. The firm joined the NASD Exchange on March 6.
The company, backed by the Nigerian sovereign wealth fund, added 11.166 million units to bring its volume to 26.421 million.
At the trading session, FrieslandCampina Wamco Nigeria Plc gained N1.91 to close at N38.50 per unit versus N36.59 per unit, Mixta Real Estate Plc rose by 41 Kobo to N4.55 per share from the previous closing value of N4.14 per share, Lagos Building Infrastructure Company (LBIC) Plc grew by 17 Kobo to N2.63 per unit from N2.80 per unit, and Paintcom Investment Plc improved by 2 Kobo to N10.74 per share from N10.72 per share, while Geo-Fluids Plc declined by 22 Kobo to N2.00 per unit from N2.22 per unit.
The volume of transactions surged by 9,665.9 per cent to 18.1 million units from 185,449 units, the value of transactions soared by 7,174.3 per cent to N192.9 million from N192.9 million, and the number of deals rose by 81.8 per cent to 20 deals from 11 deals.
Impresit Bakolori Plc ended the day as the most active stock by volume (year-to-date) for trading 533.9 million units worth N520.9 million, trailed by Industrial and General Insurance (IGI) Plc with 71.2 million units valued at N24.2 million, and Geo Fluids Plc with 44.6 million units sold for N90.2 million.
FrieslandCampina Wamco Nigeria Plc also remained as the most active stock by value (year-to-date) with 14.5 million units valued at N559.2 million, followed by Impresit Bakolori Plc with 533.9 million units worth N520.9 million, and Afriland Properties Plc with 17.8 million units sold for N365.0 million.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Naira witnessed a depreciation of 1.05 per cent or N16.97 against the US Dollar at the Nigerian Autonomous Foreign Exchange Market (NAFEX) on Thursday, April 10, exchanging at N1,629.94/$1 compared with the previous day’s rate of N1,612.99/$1.
In the same official market, the Nigerian currency, however, traded flat against the Pound Sterling and the Euro during the session at N2,085.01/£1 and N1,805.64/€1, respectively.
As for the black market, the domestic currency depreciated against the greenback yesterday by N5 to sell for N1,620/$1, in contrast to the N1,615/$1 it was exchanged at midweek.
The Naira had stabilise on Wednesday in the spot market after President Donald Trump of the United States announced a 90-day pause on tariffs for more than 75 nations, including Nigeria, that did not retaliate to his sweeping duties announced a week ago.
However, China, which recently placed steeped retaliatory tariffs on US goods, did not get any relief, as Mr Trump hiked the total levy on Chinese goods to 125 per cent.
Market analysts raise worries about a secondary effect of a trade war between the US and China, and how it can have effected on other nations’ economies.
Even as the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) continued to prop up the local currency, in the last week, the Naira has exchanged between the N1,570 and N1,620 mark.
Meanwhile, the cryptocurrency market was mixed on Thursday after exchange-traded funds (ETFs) saw outflows even as prices surged after President Trump announced a 90-day pause in tariffs on most countries, excluding China.
The dwindling demand can be attributed to the macroeconomic uncertainty caused by the US-China trade tensions that has led to macro investors selling every asset, including crypto ETFs, for cash.
Litecoin (LTC) gained 1.9 per cent to trade at $75.88, Cardano (ADA) jumped by 1.4 per cent to $0.6321, Dogecoin (DOGE) appreciated by 0.3 per cent to $0.1575, and Solana (SOL) rose by 0.2 per cent to $116.94.
On the flip side, Ethereum (ETH) dropped 3.6 per cent to settle at $1,533.42, Bitcoin (BTC) shed 1.2 per cent to end at $81,017.23, Ripple (XRP) slumped by 0.2 per cent to $1.99, and Binance Coin (BNB) went south by 0.1 per cent to $579.45, while the US Dollar Tether (USDT) and the US Dollar Coin (USDC) remained unchanged at $1.00 each.
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