Economy
US Stocks Look to Regain Some Ground
By Investors Hub
The major U.S. index futures are currently pointing to a higher opening on Friday, with stocks likely to regain some ground after moving mostly lower over the past few sessions.
Traders may look to pick up stocks at somewhat reduced levels following the recent pullback, although buying interest is likely to be relatively subdued amid lingering uncertainty about a U.S.-China trade deal.
Recent reports have suggested the signing of a phase one trade deal could be delayed until next year as U.S. and Chinese officials struggle to reach agreement on core issues.
The next round of U.S. tariffs on Chinese goods is set to take effect on December 15th, potentially complicating efforts to reach an agreement.
In remarks at Bloomberg?s New Economy Forum in Beijing, Chinese President Xi Jinping said China wants to work toward a phase one agreement on the basis of mutual respect and equality but will fight back if necessary.
Xi met with former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger at the forum, reportedly describing U.S.-China relations as being at a critical juncture
?China and the United States should step up communication on strategic concerns to avoid misjudgment and enhance mutual understanding,? Xi told Kissinger, according to China?s state-run Xinhua News Agency.
Meanwhile, President Donald Trump said in an interview on Fox News this morning that a trade agreement with China is ?very close? and that the two economic superpowers have a ?very good chance to make a deal.?
After moving to the downside early in the session, stocks fluctuated over the course of the trading day on Thursday but largely maintained a negative bias. The major averages eventually ended the day modestly lower, adding to the losses posted on Wednesday.
The major averages finished the session in negative territory but off their worst levels of the day. The Dow slipped 54.80 points or 0.2 percent to 27,766.29, the Nasdaq dipped 20.52 points or 0.2 percent to 8,506.21 and the S&P 500 edged down 4.92 points or 0.2 percent to 3,103.54.
The continued weakness on Wall Street partly reflected renewed uncertainty about the U.S. and China finalizing a phase one trade deal.
On Wednesday, a report from Reuters said completion of a phase one U.S.-China trade deal could slide into next year.
Trade experts and people briefed on the talks told Reuters a deal is still elusive and negotiations may be getting more complicated.
Reuters said the delay in signing the deal comes as China presses for more extensive tariff rollbacks, and the Trump administration counters with heightened demands of its own.
President Donald Trump told reporters on Wednesday that he has not made a trade deal with China yet because Beijing is not “stepping up to the level that I want.”
Meanwhile, a report from the Wall Street Journal said China’s chief trade negotiator has invited his American counterparts to Beijing for a new round of face-to-face talks.
Citing people briefed on the matter, the WSJ said Chinese Vice Premier Liu He extended the invitation to U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin during a phone call late last week.
In U.S. economic news, the Labor Department released a report showing first-time claims for U.S. unemployment benefits came in unchanged in the week ended November 16th.
The report said initial jobless claims came in at 227,000, unchanged from the previous week’s revised level. Economists had expected jobless claims to dip to 219,000 from the 225,000 originally reported for the previous week.
With the unchanged figure, jobless claims are hovering at their highest level since hitting 229,000 in the week ended June 22.
A separate report released by the National Association of Realtors showed existing home sales in the U.S. rebounded by more than expected in the month of October.
NAR said existing home sales jumped by 1.9 percent to an annual rate of 5.46 million in October after tumbling by 2.5 percent to a revised rate of 5.360 million in September.
Economists had expected existing home sales to surge up by 1.4 percent compared to the 2.2 percent slump originally reported for the previous month.
Gold stocks showed a significant move to the downside on the day, dragging the NYSE Arca Gold Bugs Index down by 2.2 percent. The sell-off by gold stocks came amid a notable decrease by the price of the precious metal.
Considerable weakness was also visible among commercial real estate stocks, as reflected by the 1.4 percent drop by the Dow Jones U.S. Real Estate Index.
Semiconductor, computer hardware and housing stocks also moved notably lower, while energy stocks moved to the upside amid a sharp increase by the price of crude oil.
By Adedapo Adesanya
Oil traded lower on Wednesday after US President Donald Trump eased fears of disruptions to Iranian supplies, indicating that killings in Iran’s crackdown on civil unrest were subsiding.
Yesterday, the price of Brent futures declined by 92 cents or 1.41 per cent to $64.55 per barrel while the US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) futures slipped 96 or 1.57 per cent to $60.19 a barrel.
Prices had risen on fears of Iranian supply disruptions due to a potential US attack on Iran and possible retaliation against US regional interests.
President Trump said on Wednesday afternoon he had been told that killings in Iran’s crackdown on nationwide protests were subsiding and he believed there was currently no plan for large-scale executions.
Still, tensions between Iran and the US remained high after Iran had warned US allies in the Middle East it would strike American bases on their soil if the US attacked it. The US began evacuating military personnel from a key Qatar air base on Wednesday.
While markets may have cooled somewhat on the back of President Trump’s comments, protests in Iran have persisted, and there remains plenty of uncertainty over what might come next.
Market analysts noted that continued protests in Iran risk tightening global oil balances through near-term supply losses, but mainly through rising geopolitical risk premium.
However, this remains somewhat minimal as the protests had not spread to the main Iranian oil-producing areas, which had limited the effect on actual supply.
Also supporting oil prices, Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis President Neel Kashkari said on Wednesday he was optimistic about the economic outlook and expected inflation to ease.
It is also looking increasingly likely that Venezuela’s oil supply is set to return to markets, with the US completing its first sale of Venezuelan oil on Wednesday.
Two supertankers departed Venezuelan waters on Monday with about 1.8 million barrels each of crude in what may be the first shipments of a 50 million-barrel supply deal between Venezuela and the US to get exports moving again following the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.
Crude oil inventories in the US increased by 3.4 million barrels during the week ending January 14, according to new data from the US Energy Information Administration (EIA) released on Wednesday.
The EIA’s data release follows figures by the American Petroleum Institute (API) that were released a day earlier, which suggested that crude oil inventories grew by 5.27 million barrels.
By Adedapo Adesanya
TotalEnergies EP Nigeria has signed a Sale and Purchase Agreement with Vaaris for the divestment of its 10 per cent non-operated interest in the Renaissance JV licences in Nigeria.
The Renaissance JV, formerly known as the SPDC JV, is an unincorporated joint venture between Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (55 per cent), Renaissance Africa Energy Company Ltd (30 per cent, operator), TotalEnergies EP Nigeria (10 per cent) and Agip Energy and Natural Resources Nigeria (5 per cent), which holds 18 licences in the Niger Delta.
In a statement by TotalEnergies on Wednesday, it was stated that under the agreement signed with Vaaris, TotalEnergies EP Nigeria will sell its 10 per cent participating interest and all its rights and obligations in 15 licences of Renaissance JV, which are producing mainly oil.
Production from these licences, it was said, represented approximately 16,000 barrels equivalent per day in company’s share in 2025.
The agreement also stated that TotalEnergies EP Nigeria will also transfer to Vaaris its 10 per cent participating interest in the three other licences of Renaissance JV which are producing mainly gas, namely OML 23, OML 28 and OML 77, while TotalEnergies will retain full economic interest in these licences, which currently account for 50 per cent of Nigeria LNG gas supply.
Business Post reports that the conclusion of the deal is subject to customary conditions, including regulatory approvals.
“TotalEnergies EP Nigeria has signed a Sale and Purchase Agreement with Vaaris for the sale of its 10 per cent non-operated interest in the Renaissance JV licences in Nigeria.
“Under the agreement signed with Vaaris, TotalEnergies EP Nigeria will sell to Vaaris its 10 per cent participating interest and all its rights and obligations in 15 licences of Renaissance JV, which are producing mainly oil. Production from these licences represented approximately 16,000 barrels equivalent per day in the company’s share in 2025.
“TotalEnergies EP Nigeria will also transfer to Vaaris its 10 per cent participating interest in the 3 other licenses of Renaissance JV, which are producing mainly gas (OML 23, OML 28 and OML 77), while TotalEnergies will retain full economic interest in these licenses, which currently account for 50 per cent of Nigeria LNG gas supply. Closing is subject to customary conditions, including regulatory approvals,” the statement reads in part.
The development is part of TotalEnergies’ strategies to dump more assets to lighten its books and debt.
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
The trading licence of Monument Securities and Finance Limited has been revoked by the regulatory arm of the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) Group Plc.
Known as NGX Regulations Limited (NGX Regco), the regulator said it took back the operating licence of the organisation after it shut down its operations.
The revocation of the licence was approved by Regulation and New Business Committee (RNBC) at its meeting held on September 24, 2025, a notice from the signed by the Head of Market Regulations at the agency, Chinedu Akamaka, said.
“This is to formally notify all trading license holders that the board of NGX Regulation Limited (NGX RegCo) has approved the decision of the Regulation and New Business Committee (RNBC)” in respect of Monument Securities and Finance Limited, a part of the disclosure stated.
Monument Securities and Finance Limited was earlier licensed to assist clients with the trading of stocks in the Nigerian capital market.
However, with the latest development, the firm is no longer authorised to perform this function.
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