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Economy

US Stocks Open Higher on Upbeat Jobs Data

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US Stocks report

By Investors Hub

The major U.S. index futures are currently pointing to a higher lower opening on Friday, as much stronger than expected jobs data washed away concerns about the economic outlook.

The futures climbed more firmly into positive territory following the release of a closely watched Labor Department report showing much stronger than expected job growth in the month of October.

The Labor Department said non-farm payroll employment climbed by 128,000 jobs in October compared to economist estimates for an increase of about 89,000 jobs.

The report also showed substantial upward revisions to job growth in September and August, with revised data showing employment jumped by 180,000 jobs and 219,000 jobs, respectively.

With the upward revisions, employment gains in September and August combined were 95,000 more than previously reported.

Despite the stronger than expected job growth, the report said the unemployment rate inched up to 3.6 percent in October from 3.5 percent in September. The uptick matched economist estimates.

The unemployment rate crept up from the nearly 50-year low hit in the previous month as a 325-person jump in the size of the labor force more than offset a 241,000-person increase in the household survey measure of employment.

After ending Wednesday’s trading moderately higher, stocks moved mostly lower over the course of the trading day on Thursday. With the drop on the day, the S&P 500 pulled back off Wednesday’s record closing high.

The major averages staged a recovery attempt going into the close but remained stuck in the red. The Dow slid 140.46 points or 0.5 percent to 27,046.23, the Nasdaq edged down 11.62 points or 0.1 percent to 8,292.36 and the S&P 500 fell 9.21 points or 0.3 percent to 3,037.56.

The pullback on Wall Street came amid renewed uncertainty about the potential for a long-term U.S.-China trade deal.

Optimism about phase one of a trade deal contributed to recent strength on Wall Street, but a new report from Bloomberg said Chinese officials are casting doubts about reaching a comprehensive long-term trade agreement.

People familiar with the matter told Bloomberg that Chinese officials have warned in private conversations that they are unwilling to budge on the thorniest issues.

In an apparent effort to calm the markets, President Donald Trump tweeted shortly before the start of trading that the U.S. and China are working on a new site to sign phase one of the trade deal.

Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping had been due to meet and potentially sign the deal at the APEC summit in Chile, but the Chilean President recently called off the summit due to unrest in the country.

“China and the USA are working on selecting a new site for signing of Phase One of Trade Agreement, about 60% of total deal, after APEC in Chile was canceled do to unrelated circumstances,” Trump tweeted. “The new location will be announced soon. President Xi and President Trump will do signing!”

In a separate tweet, Trump also claimed Democrats’ “Impeachment Hoax” is hurting the stock markets as the House voted to approve a resolution that establishes the procedure for the next phase of an impeachment inquiry.

Upbeat earnings news helped limit the downside for the markets, however, with Apple (AAPL) and Facebook (FB) posting notable gains after reporting better than expected quarterly results.

On the U.S. economic front, the Labor Department released a report showing a modest increase in first-time claims for U.S. unemployment benefits in the week ended October 26th.

The report said initial jobless claims rose to 218,000, an increase of 5,000 from the previous week’s revised level of 213,000.

Economists had expected jobless claims to inch up to 215,000 from the 212,000 originally reported for the previous week.

A separate report from the Commerce Department showed personal income and spending both increased in line with economist estimates in the month of September.

The report said personal income increased by 0.3 percent in September after climbing by an upwardly revised 0.5 percent in August.

Meanwhile, the Commerce Department said personal spending edged up by 0.2 percent, matching the revised uptick seen in August.

Computer hardware stocks turned in some of the market’s worst performances on the day, dragging the NYSE Arca Computer Hardware Index down by 1.8 percent.

Western Digital (WDC) led the sector lower after the hard drive maker reported better than expected fiscal first quarter results but provided disappointing guidance and announced the retirement of its CEO Steve Milligan.

Significant weakness was also visible among oil service stocks, as reflected by the 1.5 percent drop by the Philadelphia Oil Service Index. The weakness in the oil service sector came amid a notable decrease by the price of crude oil.

Steel stocks also saw considerable weakness amid uncertainty about a U.S.-China trade deal, moving notably lower along with transportation, chemical and financial stocks.

On the other hand, gold stocks bucked the downtrend, resulting in a 2.7 percent jump by the NYSE Arca Gold Bugs Index. The index ended the session at its best closing level in over a month. The rally by gold stocks came amid a sharp increase by the price of the precious metal.

Dipo Olowookere is a journalist based in Nigeria that has passion for reporting business news stories. At his leisure time, he watches football and supports 3SC of Ibadan. Mr Olowookere can be reached via [email protected]

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Economy

Beta Glass Rejigs Board to Drive Next Phase of Innovation, Growth

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beta glass

By Aduragbemi Omiyale

The board of Beta Glass Plc has been reorganised, with the addition of four new executives, who will help to drive the company’s next phase of innovation and growth.

In a statement, Beta Glass announced the appointments of four non-executive directors, who are Mr Nitin Kaul, Ms Olusola Carrena, Mr Bolaji Olatunbosun Osunsanya, and Mr Boye Olusanya.

They are replacing the departing Mr Emmanouil Metaxakis, Mr Vassilis Kararizos, Mr Serge Joris, and Mr Gagik Apkarian from the board.

Their appointments, however, are subject to the ratification of the shareholders of the organisation at the next Annual General Meeting (AGM) on June 26, 2026.

Mr Kaul brings to the team over 25 years of global experience in strategy, mergers and acquisitions, restructuring, and business transformation across developed and emerging markets. He is a Partner, Portfolio Operations and member of the Executive Committee at Helios Investment Partners. Prior to joining Helios, he co-founded a boutique advisory firm focused on M&A and operational improvement for private businesses. He previously served as President of diversified industrial and aftermarket businesses at Gates Corporation, where he

was part of the executive team that led its sale to Blackstone in 2014. Earlier in his career, he held senior leadership roles at Tomkins and began his professional journey at Arthur Andersen. He currently serves on the boards of several companies across emerging markets.

As for Ms Carrena, she is a highly respected financial services leader with over 23 years of experience across investment banking, private equity, and corporate finance in Africa. She serves as Managing Director (Nigeria) on the Investment Team at Helios Investment Partners, where she oversees deal origination, execution, exits, and portfolio management across sectors. Before this, she spent a decade at Stanbic IBTC Capital Limited, rising to Executive Director and Head of Corporate Finance. During her tenure, she led and closed over 30 transactions valued at more than $4 billion across diverse industries, including oil and gas, FMCG, financial services, infrastructure, and healthcare. A CFA Charterholder, she holds a Master’s degree from the University of Alberta and a First-Class degree from the University of Lagos.

For Mr Osunsanya, he is an accomplished CEO, investor, and governance leader with more than 35 years of experience spanning energy, finance, and infrastructure. He previously served as Group CEO of Axxela Ltd., where he led strategic restructuring and significant value growth initiatives. Earlier, he held executive leadership roles at Oando PLC and Access Bank Plc, contributing to business transformation, governance strengthening, and sustainable expansion. He has served on the boards of several publicly listed and private companies, providing oversight in areas of strategy, audit, risk, and corporate governance, and remains an influential voice in Nigeria’s energy and financial sectors.

On the part of Mr Olusanya, he is a transformative business leader with over three decades of cross-industry experience spanning engineering, telecommunications, manufacturing, and agribusiness. He currently serves as chief executive of Flour Mills of Nigeria Plc, where he is leading a strategic transformation agenda focused on value chain integration, sustainability, and digital innovation. He previously served as Chief Executive Officer of 9mobile and as Chief Transformation Officer at Dangote Industries Limited, driving enterprise-wide restructuring and operational efficiency programs. He also served as Group Operating Partner at Helios Investment Partners, overseeing performance optimisation across portfolio companies. In addition, he is Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Economic Summit Group, contributing to national economic policy dialogue and private-sector development.

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Economy

Dangote Refinery Cuts Ex-Depot Prices of Petrol, Diesel as Oil Tumbles

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Dangote refinery petrol

By Adedapo Adesanya

Dangote Petroleum Refinery has reduced its ex-depot prices for Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) and Automotive Gas Oil (AGO), marking the first downward adjustment after several sharp increases recorded in recent days.

According to the refinery’s latest pricing template released on March 10, 2026, the gantry price of petrol has been cut by N100 to N1,075 per litre, down from N1,175 per litre previously.

The 650,000 barrels per day capacity refinery also disclosed that PMS supplied through coastal distribution will now sell at N1,050 per litre, reflecting a marginal price differential for marine deliveries.

In addition, the gantry price of AGO, commonly known as diesel, has been reduced to N1,430 per litre, representing a N190 drop from the earlier price of N1,620 per litre.

The company noted that the quoted gantry prices exclude statutory charges imposed by the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA).

The price adjustment came amid a recent decline in global crude oil prices, which has started to ease cost pressures across the international petroleum market and is influencing pricing trends in the downstream sector.

US President Donald Trump reassured markets and claimed the war would end soon, but Iran on Tuesday vowed not to let “a litre” of oil be exported from the Middle East until the United States and Israel stop bombing it.

Brent crude price, which hit a high of $109 per barrel, has now dropped to $90 per barrel, as the largest oil producers in the Middle East Gulf have deepened production cuts and are already lowering output by a combined more than 5 million barrels per day, as the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz has started to affect upstream production.

However, there are worries that, unlike the speed at which petrol stations hiked their cost at the pump, the revised ex-depot prices will not reflect through depot channels and translate into lower retail pump prices nationwide.

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Economy

Petrol Station Owners Urge NNPC to Expand Local Refining to Withstand Global Oil Shocks

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Petrol Station Owners

By Adedapo Adesanya

The Petroleum Products Retail Outlets Owners Association of Nigeria (PETROAN) has urged the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited to urgently strengthen domestic refining capacity to shield the country from global petroleum market shocks.

The National President, PETROAN, Billy Gillis-Harry, on Monday called on the Group Chief Executive Officer of the state oil company, Mr Bayo Ojulari, to facilitate the immediate commencement of production at Nigeria’s local refineries.

Mr Gillis-Harry said that production at the refineries was paramount, particularly the Area five Plant at Port Harcourt Refinery and the Warri Refinery, which previously operated briefly before shutdown for profit index evaluation.

He said that this had become imperative due to the ongoing conflict involving Israel, the United States and Iran, which was pushing global petroleum prices to alarming levels.

Projecting future trends, he warned that Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) could rise close to N2,000 per litre while Automotive Gas Oil (AGO) may approach N3,000 per litre if the situation persists.

He said that sustained drone and missile attacks now threaten critical oil routes and infrastructure, creating uncertainty in global supply chains.

“With no clear end to the conflict, petroleum product prices in both international and domestic markets are expected to rise sharply in the coming days.

“Before the crisis, PMS, known as fuel sold at N774 per litre, but now sells above N1,000 per litre, representing an increase of about 30 per cent.

“Diesel, previously sold at N950 per litre, has risen to N1,400 per litre and above, an increase of about 49 per cent,” he said.

Mr Gillis-Harry said that rehabilitating Nigeria’s refineries for immediate domestic production was critical.

On local refining, he said that it would reduce exposure to international market volatility, especially as Nigeria had abundant crude oil resources under the custody of NNPC Limited.

He said that government-owned refineries were less vulnerable to global supply disruptions compared to privately owned refineries dependent on imported crude.

The PETROAN president said that continued fuel price increases would worsen inflation, cause job losses, deepen economic hardship, increase transportation costs, and raise prices of goods and services nationwide.

“Fuel remains essential for daily mobility, while diesel is vital for manufacturing and industrial operations,” he said.

He commended President Bola Tinubu for the ongoing bold policies to reform the oil and gas sector, and called on Tinubu to direct the immediate rehabilitation and commencement of production at the government-owned refineries.

According to him, this will ultimately bring relief to citizens and stimulate economic growth.

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