Economy

US Stocks Open Higher on Positive Developments Overseas

Published

6 years ago

04/09/2019

By Investors Hub

The major U.S. index futures are currently pointing to a higher opening on Wednesday, with stocks likely to move back to the upside following the sharp pullback in the previous session.

News that Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam has withdrawn a controversial extradition bill may contribute to initial strength on Wall Street.

The bill, which would have allowed people in Hong Kong to be extradited to mainland China, sparked widespread protests across Hong Kong.

Positive sentiment may also be generated in reaction to a report showing growth in China?s service sector accelerated in August despite broader economic headwinds.

Stocks showed a notable move to the downside during trading on Tuesday as traders returned to their desks following the long holiday weekend. With the pullback on the day, the major averages partly offset the strong gains posted last week.

The major averages climbed off their worst levels of the day but still closed firmly in negative territory. The Dow slumped 285.26 points or 1.1 percent to 26,118.02, the Nasdaq tumbled 88.72 points or 1.1 percent to 7,874.16 and the S&P 500 slid 20.19 points or 0.7 percent to 2,906.27.

Initial selling pressure was generated in reaction to new tariffs taking effect over the Labor Day weekend in the escalating U.S.-China trade.

The U.S. officially imposed a 15 percent tariff on approximately $112 billion worth of Chinese imports, leading to Chinese retaliatory tariffs on billions of dollars worth of U.S. goods.

President Donald Trump repeated his claim in remarks to reporters on Sunday that China is paying for the tariffs by devaluing their currency.

Trump indicated U.S. and Chinese officials still plan to meet for trade talks this month but argued the U.S. “can’t allow China to rip us off anymore as a country.”

In a series of tweets this morning, Trump threatened to get tougher on China if he wins re-election and dismissed suggestions that he work with the European Union to go after Chinese trade practices.

Stocks saw further downside following the release of a report from the Institute for Supply Management showing U.S. manufacturing activity contracted for the first time in three years.

The ISM said its purchasing managers index fell to 49.1 in August after dipping to 51.2 in July, with a reading below 50 indicating a contraction in manufacturing activity. Economists had expected the index to edge down to 51.0.

With the bigger than expected decrease, the PMI dropped below 50 for the first time since August of 2016 and hit its lowest level since January of 2016.

“Comments from the panel reflect a notable decrease in business confidence,” said Timothy R. Fiore, Chair of the ISM Manufacturing Business Survey Committee.

He added, “August saw the end of the PMI expansion that spanned 35 months, with steady expansion softening over the last four months.”

A separate report from the Commerce Department showed construction spending inched up by less than expected in the month of July.

Steel stocks showed a significant move to the downside on the day, giving back ground following the substantial rebound seen over the three previous sessions.

The NYSE Arca Steel Index tumbled by 2.6 percent, pulling back toward the nearly three-year closing low set a week ago.

Substantial weakness also emerged among biotechnology stocks, as reflected by the 2.5 percent slump by the NYSE Arca Biotechnology Index. The index ended the session at an eight-month closing low.

Banking, semiconductor, and oil service stocks also saw considerable weakness on the day, while utilities and gold stocks bucked the downtrend.

Economy

NBA Demands Suspension of Controversial Tax Laws

Published

19 hours ago

24/12/2025

Modupe Gbadeyanka

By Modupe Gbadeyanka

The federal government has been asked by the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) to suspend the implementation of the controversial tax laws.

In a reaction to the tax reform acts, the president of the group, Mr Afam Osigwe (SAN), the suspension of the laws would allow for a proper investigation into allegations of alterations in the gazetted and harmonised copies.

A member of the House of Representatives, Mr Abdussamad Dasuki, alleged that some parts of the laws passed by the parliament were different from the gazetted copy.

To address the issues raised, the NBA said it is “imperative that a comprehensive, open, and transparent investigation be conducted to clarify the circumstances surrounding the enactment of the laws and to restore public confidence in the legislative process.”

“Until these issues are fully examined and resolved, all plans for the implementation of the Tax Reform Acts should be immediately suspended,” the association declared.

It noted that the controversies “raise grave concerns about the integrity, transparency, and credibility of Nigeria’s legislative process.”

“These developments strike at the very heart of constitutional governance and call into question the procedural sanctity that must attend lawmaking in a democratic society,” it noted.

“Legal and policy uncertainty of this magnitude has far-reaching consequences. It unsettles the business environment, erodes investor confidence, and creates unpredictability for individuals, businesses, and institutions required to comply with the law. Such uncertainty is inimical to economic stability and should have no place in a system governed by the rule of law.

“Nigeria’s constitutional democracy demands that laws, especially those with profound economic and social implications, emerge from processes that are transparent, accountable, and beyond reproach. Anything short of this undermines public trust and weakens the foundation upon which lawful governance rests.

“We therefore call on all relevant authorities to act swiftly and responsibly in addressing this controversy, in the overriding interest of constitutional order, economic stability, and the preservation of the rule of law,” the organisation stated.

Economy

MRS Oil, Two Others Raise NASD Bourse Higher by 0.52%

Published

21 hours ago

24/12/2025

Adedapo Adesanya

By Adedapo Adesanya

Demand for hot stocks, including MRS Oil Plc, buoyed the NASD Over-the-Counter (OTC) Securities Exchange by 0.52 per cent on Tuesday, December 23.

The energy company was one of the three price gainers for the session as it chalked up N19.69 to sell at N216.59 per share versus the previous day’s value of N196.90 per share.

Further, FrieslandCampina Wamco Nigeria Plc gained N2.95 to close at N56.75 per unit versus N53.80 per unit and Golden Capital Plc appreciated by 84 Kobo to N9.29 per share from Monday’s N8.45 per share.

Consequently, the market capitalisation went up by N10.95 billion to N2.125 trillion from N2.125 trillion and the NASD Unlisted Security Index (NSI) rose by 18.31 points to 3,570.37 points from 3,552.06 points.

Yesterday, the NASD bourse recorded a price loser, the Central Securities Clearing System Plc (CSCS), which gave up 17 Kobo to close at N33.70 per unit against the previous trading value of N33.87 per unit.

The volume of securities traded at the session went down by 97.6 per cent to 297,902 units from the previous day’s 12.6 million units, the value of securities decreased by 98.5 per cent to N10.5 million from N713.6 million, and the number of deals remained flat at 32 deals.

By value, Infrastructure Credit Guarantee Company (InfraCredit) Plc ended as the most actively traded stock on a year-to-date basis with 5.8 billion units exchanged for N16.4 billion. This was followed by Okitipupa Plc, which traded 178.9 million units valued at N9.5 billion, and MRS Oil Plc with 36.1 million units worth N4.9 billion.

In terms of volume, also on a year-to-date basis, InfraCredit Plc led the chart with a turnover of 5.8 billion units traded for N16.4 billion. Industrial and General Insurance (IGI) Plc ranked second with 1.2 billion units sold for N420.7 million, while Impresit Bakolori Plc followed with the sale of 536.9 million units valued at N524.9 million.

Economy

NGX All-Share Index Soars to 153,354.13 points

Published

21 hours ago

24/12/2025

Dipo Olowookere

By Dipo Olowookere

It was another bullish trading session for the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) Limited as it closed higher by 0.59 per cent on Tuesday.

The market further rallied due to continued interest in large and mid-cap stocks on the exchange by investors rebalancing their portfolios for the year-end.

Yesterday, Aluminium Extrusion sustained its upward trajectory after it further appreciated by 9.96 per cent to N14.90, as Austin Laz gained 9.81 per cent to close at N2.91, Custodian Investment improved by 9.69 per cent to N38.50, and First Holdco soared by 9.35 per cent to N50.30.

Conversely, Royal Exchange declined by 7.22 per cent to N1.80, Champion Breweries shrank by 6.57 per cent to N15.65, NASCON lost 5.36 per cent to trade at N105.05, Sovereign Trust Insurance depreciated by 5.28 per cent to N3.77, and Japaul went down by 4.51 per cent to N2.33.

At the close of business, 29 shares ended on the gainers’ table and 27 shares finished on the losers’ log, representing a positive market breadth index and bullish investor sentiment.

This raised the All-Share Index (ASI) by 895.06 points to 153,354.13 points from 152,459.07 points and lifted the market capitalisation by N579 billion to N97.772 trillion from the previous day’s N97.193 trillion.

VFD Group finished the day as the busiest stock after it recorded a turnover of 192.0 million units worth N2.1 billion, GTCO exchanged 63.5 million units valued at N5.6 billion, Access Holdings traded 49.8 million units for N1.0 billion, First Holdco sold 45.8 million units valued at N2.3 billion, and Secure Electronic Technology transacted 38.3 million units worth N28.4 million.

In all, market participants bought and sold 677.4 million units valued at N20.8 billion in 27,589 deals compared with the 451.5 million units worth N13.0 billion traded in 33,327 deals on Monday, showing an improvement in the trading volume and value by 50.03 per cent and 60.00 per cent apiece, and a shortfall in the number of deals by 17.22 per cent.