Economy
US-Israel-Iran War Diverts Nigeria LNG Cargo to Asia
By Adedapo Adesanya
A cargo of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Nigeria has been diverted to Asia after a surge in prices created an arbitrage opportunity for traders.
According to a report by Reuters, citing data from analytics firm Kpler, the LNG tanker BW Brussels, which loaded a shipment at the Nigeria LNG Bonny Island Terminal on February 27, initially signalled a westward journey toward Europe before altering its route and heading south toward Asia via the Cape of Good Hope.
According to Reuters, Asia’s benchmark LNG price surged sharply last week as the ongoing conflict between the United States and Iran and a production suspension in Qatar tightened global supply.
The benchmark Japan-Korea Marker for spot LNG cargoes jumped by 68.52 per cent to $25.393 per million British thermal units for April delivery last Tuesday, its highest level in three years, according to S&P Global Platts.
In comparison, spot LNG prices for deliveries to northwest Europe rose by about 57 per cent to $15.479 per mmBtu for April, reflecting a strong rally but still leaving Asia as the more lucrative destination for flexible cargoes.
The widening price spread between Asia and Europe has opened arbitrage opportunities for traders to redirect LNG shipments from the Atlantic Basin to Asian buyers willing to pay a premium.
“So far, one LNG tanker that loaded in Nigeria last week has diverted to Asia from its initial Atlantic-bound course after spot prices surged. The BW Brussels LNG tanker loaded a cargo from Bonny LNG in Nigeria on February 27 and was moving west before turning to head south on March 3, data from Kpler showed.
“BW Brussels appears to have changed course from an initial signal toward France and is now heading toward Asia via the Cape of Good Hope,” Reuters reported, quoting a principal insight analyst at Kpler, Mr Go Katayama.
Spark Commodities analyst, Mr Qasim Afghan, said global front-month arbitrage opportunities had “increased significantly” and were now open to Asia across several major LNG export locations.
He added that the price differential between Asian LNG and Europe’s benchmark gas hub, the Title Transfer Facility in the Netherlands, had widened to about $5 per mmBtu in favour of Asia.
The diversion of the Nigerian cargo highlights how rapidly shifting global prices can alter LNG trade flows, particularly for shipments with flexible destination clauses.
“This likely reflects the widening Atlantic–Pacific arbitrage, with stronger Asian pricing making diversions of destination-flexible Atlantic cargoes more attractive,” Mr Katayama said, noting that more cargoes could follow if the price spread persists.
It was gathered that the tightening market has also prompted Asian buyers to scramble for alternative supplies following the disruption to Qatari exports.
Government sources told Reuters that India is scouting for alternative LNG sources to replace lost Qatari supply, while state-run energy company Petrobangla plans to issue tenders for prompt LNG cargoes.
Analysts at S&P Global Energy said Asia-Pacific buyers were likely to be the most aggressive in the near-term spot market as they compete to secure supply
However, they noted that Europe could still attract some flexible cargoes because of the deep liquidity in the TTF financial market, which allows traders to hedge risks more easily.
Qatar is one of the world’s largest LNG exporters, and Asian buyers account for more than 80 per cent of its shipments, according to Kpler data. The disruption to production there has tightened supply and triggered intense competition between the Atlantic and Pacific basins for available cargoes.
For Nigeria, the shift underscores the role of global price signals in determining cargo destinations in the highly flexible LNG market.
Industry analysts say that if Asian prices remain significantly higher than those in Europe, more LNG shipments from Atlantic producers could be redirected eastwards in the coming weeks.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The NASD Over-the-Counter (OTC) Securities Exchange extended rallied by 1.18 per cent on Friday, May 8, its fifth in a row for this week.
During the session, the market capitalisation increased by N28.96 billion to N2.488 trillion from N2.459 trillion, and the NASD Unlisted Security Index (NSI) jumped by 48.39 points to 4,158.77 points from the 4,110.38 points recorded a day earlier.
The growth witnessed yesterday was spurred by the gains recorded by six securities, led by 11 Plc, which chalked up N11.00 to sell at 221.10 per unit versus Thursday’s closing price of N210.10 per unit. FrislandCampina Wamco Nigeria Plc added N10.26 to close at N132.98 per share compared with the previous day’s N127.06 per share, and Central Securities Clearing System (CSCS) Plc rose by N2.82 to N75.90 per unit from N73.08 per unit.
In addition, Lighthouse Financial Services Plc appreciated by 7 Kobo to 86 Kobo per share from 81 Kobo per share, UBN Property Plc climbed higher by 5 Kobo to N2.25 per unit from N2.20 per unit, and First Trust Mortgage Bank Plc gained 2 Kobo to close at N2.32 per share, in contrast to the previous session’s N2.30 per share.
Conversely, Geo-Fluids Plc went down by 20 Kobo to N2.90 per unit from N3.10 per unit, and Afriland Properties Plc lost 5 Kobo to end at N16.95 per share versus N17.00 per share.
The volume of transactions for the session surged by 41.8 per cent to 528,891 units from 372,916 units, and the value grew by 11.4 per cent to N34.0 million from N30.4 million, while the number of deals slid by 7.4 per cent to 25 deals from 27 deals.
The most traded stock by volume on a year-to-date basis was Great Nigeria Insurance (GNI) Plc, with 3.4 billion units worth N8.4 billion. Resourcery Plc occupied the second spot after trading 1.1 billion units valued at N415.7 million, and the third position was occupied by Infrastructure Guarantee Credit Plc with 400 million units sold for N1.2 billion.
The most traded stock by value on a year-to-date basis was GNI Plc with 3.4 billion units transacted for N8.4 billion, followed by CSCS Plc with 60.5 million units exchanged for N4.1 billion, and Okitipupa Plc with 27.8 million units traded for N1.9 billion.
By Dipo Olowookere
The local stock exchange reversed the previous day’s loss, with a 2.10 per cent surge on Friday as a result of demand for large-cap equities like Dangote Cement, First Holdco and others.
It was observed that apart from the insurance counter, which shed 0.37 per cent, every other sector closed higher yesterday.
The industrial goods index expanded by 7.26 per cent, the banking segment increased by 3.35 per cent, the consumer goods industry rose by 0.21 per cent, and the energy sector soared by 0.14 per cent.
Consequently, the All-Share Index (ASI) of the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) Limited improved by 5,041.22 points to 244,775.83 points from 239,734.61 points, and the market capitalisation added N3.235 trillion to settle at N157.094 trillion compared with the preceding session’s N153.859 trillion.
The quintet of Neimeth, Cadbury Nigeria, LivingTrust Mortgage Bank, Mecure, and Dangote Cement led the advancers’ table on Friday, with 10.00 per cent growth each to quote at N9.90, N72.60, N3.52, N72.60, and N1,088.00, respectively.
On the flip side, the duo of UAC Nigeria and Industrial and Medical Gases lost 10.00 per cent each to sell for N171.00 and N42.30, respectively, as Eterna declined by 9.93 per cent to N33.55, Learn Africa slipped by 9.89 per cent to N8.20, and Deap Capital tripped by 9.69 per cent to N5.50.
The most active stock for the day was VFD Group, with a turnover of 102.9 million units valued at N1.1 billion. FCMB transacted 99.4 million units worth N1.1 billion, UBA traded 94.5 million units for N3.8 billion, Access Holdings exchanged 85.4 million units worth N2.0 billion, and Zenith Bank sold 46.5 million units valued at N5.8 billion.
At the close of trades, market participants traded 1.1 billion units worth N55.0 billion in 69,996 deals, in contrast to the 1.8 billion units valued at N72.2 billion transacted in 81,131 deals a day earlier, showing a crash in the trading volume, value, and number of deals by 38.89 per cent, 23.82 per cent, and 13.73 per cent, respectively.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Naira fell against the US Dollar by N5.54 or 0.41 per cent to N1,361.39/$1 from N1,355.85/$1 in the Nigerian Autonomous Foreign Exchange Market (NAFEX) on Friday, May 8.
The domestic currency also depreciated against the Pound Sterling in the official market during the session by N8.50 to trade at N1,853.68/£1 compared with the previous day’s N1,845.18/£1, and against the Euro, it lost N9.37 to sell for N1,602.63/€1 versus N1,593.26/€1.
However, at the GTBank FX desk, the Nigerian Naira appreciated against the US Dollar yesterday by N3 to quote at N1,372/$1 compared with Thursday’s closing value of N1,375/$1, and at the parallel market, it traded flat at N1,380/$1.
Despite the volatile outcome of the local currency, it remained within the expected trading range, reflecting sustained FX stabilisation efforts by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), supported by improved liquidity, stronger autonomous inflows, and better price discovery.
Traders point to further gains for the Naira into the coming week, thanks to Dollar supply from foreign investors, exporters and oil companies, while demand is moderate. Nigerian yields are still attractive for foreign investors, serving as a basis for more (FX) flows coming to Nigeria.
Meanwhile, the country’s external reserves dropped by 3.4 per cent to $48.32 billion, from a 2009 high of $50.02 billion recorded on March 11.
In the cryptocurrency market, prices rallied after worries eased, following fresh US airstrikes in Iran that initially sparked a surge in oil prices and a broader risk-off move across crypto markets.
Bitcoin (BTC) added 0.8 per cent to sell at $80,212.54, Solana (SOL) gained 6.5 per cent to sell at $93.76, Cardano (ADA) appreciated by 5.1 per cent to $0.2749, Dogecoin (DOGE) grew by 3.7 per cent to $0.1102, and Ripple (XRP) rose by 3.1 per cent to $1.42.
Further, Binance Coin (BNB) jumped 2.3 per cent to $650.16, Ethereum (ETH) expanded by 1.6 per cent to $2,315.48, and TRON (TRX) increased by 0.1 per cent to $0.3515, while the US Dollar Tether (USDT) and the US Dollar Coin (USDC) remained unchanged at $1.00 apiece.
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