Economy

US Stocks Open Higher on Upbeat Jobs Data

Published

6 years ago

01/11/2019

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.

Economy

NMDPRA Increases Gas Prices for GenCos to $2.18/MMBTU

Published

54 minutes ago

01/04/2026

Adedapo Adesanya

By Adedapo Adesanya

The Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) has raised the natural gas price for power generation companies (GenCos) to $2.18 per million metric British thermal units (MMBTU).

This marks a $0.05/MMBTU hike from the earlier rate of $2.13 per MMBTU.

In a circular released on Tuesday, the regulator outlined the updated domestic base price (DBP) and wholesale natural gas prices for 2025.

The DBP represents the lowest price at which natural gas can be offered in the domestic market.

The document states that the adjustment will begin today (April 1, 2026).

“Taking into account the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) provisions, current market conditions, and the official Gas Pricing and Domestic Demand Regulations, the NMDPRA sets the new Domestic Base Price at USD 2.18/MMBtu, along with wholesale prices for the strategic sector, starting April 1, 2026,” the circular stated.

In the directive signed by NMDPRA CEO, Mr Saidu Mohammed, the regulator also indicates that commercial buyers will now pay $2.68 per MMBTU, up from $2.63 per MMBTU previously.

Additionally, the authority fixed prices for gas-based industries (such as ammonia, urea, methanol, and low-sulphur diesel) at a floor of $0.90 per MMBTU and a ceiling of $2.18 per MMBTU.

NMDPRA explained that the domestic base price at the marketable gas delivery point—per section 167(1) of the PIA—follows regulations based on key principles:

“a) A rate sufficient to encourage upstream producers to voluntarily supply enough gas to the domestic market.

“b) No higher than the average natural gas prices in major emerging producer nations.

“c) Based on the lowest supply costs under a three-tier framework.

“d) Aligned with market rates and international benchmarks.”

This change could affect the country’s power sector, already strained by massive debt and a lack of gas supply.

Last month, the Association of Power Generation Companies (APGC), an umbrella body for power generation companies, warned that gas suppliers might halt deliveries to thermal plants due to debt of around N6.5 trillion.

The federal government disclosed plans in December to raise N1.23 trillion by the first quarter (Q1) of 2026 to settle verified arrears owed to generation companies and gas suppliers. On January 27, the government said it had successfully issued a N501 billion inaugural bond under the presidential power sector debt reduction programme (PPSDRP).

However, the APGC has said that this is inadequate, comparing the debt to “garri soaked in water.”

Economy

NASD Unlisted Securities Index Falls 0.23% to 4,100.11 Points

Published

4 hours ago

01/04/2026

Adedapo Adesanya

By Adedapo Adesanya

The NASD Over-the-Counter (OTC) Securities Exchange further declined by 0.23 per cent, with the Unlisted Security Index (NSI) down by 9.63 points on Tuesday, March 31, to 4,100.11 points from 4,109.74 points.

In the same vein, the market capitalisation went down by N5.76 billion to finish at N2.453 trillion from the N2.458 trillion it closed a day earlier.

The mood of the market was flat yesterday as there were three price losers and three price gainers, led by Central Securities Clearing System (CSCS) Plc, which gained N1.51 to sell at N78.68 per unit compared with the previous day’s N77.17 per unit. UBN Property Plc appreciated by 15 Kobo to N2.20 per share from N2.05 per share, and Geo-Fluids Plc improved by 3 Kobo to N3.25 per unit from N3.22 per unit.

On the flip side, 11 Plc lost N31.05 to close at N285.00 per share versus Monday’s closing price of N316.50 per share, FrieslandCampina Wamco Nigeria Plc dropped 95 Kobo to trade at N98.05 per unit versus N99.00 per unit, and Industrial and General Insurance (IGI) Plc went down by 2 Kobo to 52 Kobo per share from 57 Kobo per share.

During the trading day, the volume of securities jumped by 137.9 per cent to 50.8 million units from 21.3 million units, the number of deals rose 28.9 per cent to 49 deals from the preceding session’s 38 deals, while the value of securities went down by 65.2 per cent to N226.9 million from N651.1 million.

CSCS Plc remained the most traded stock by value (year-to-date) with 56.8 million units worth N3.8 billion, followed by Okitipupa Plc with 27.5 million units valued at N1.8 billion, and Infrastructure Guarantee Credit Plc with 400 million units traded for N1.2 billion.

Resourcery Plc was the most traded stock by volume (year-to-date) with 1.1 billion units sold for N415.7 million, followed by Infrastructure Guarantee Credit Plc with 400 million units transacted for N1.2 billion, and Geo-Fluids Plc with 183.0 million units exchanged for N673.8 million.

Economy

Naira Weakens 0.23% to N1,386/$1 at Official Market

Published

5 hours ago

01/04/2026

Adedapo Adesanya

By Adedapo Adesanya

The Naira weakened against the US Dollar in the Nigerian Autonomous Foreign Exchange Market (NAFEX) on Tuesday, March 31, by 0.23 per cent or N3.14 to N1,386.72/$1 from the N1,383.58/$1 it was traded on Monday.

Similarly, the Nigerian currency depreciated against the Pound Sterling in the same market window by N14.40 to close at N1,839.34/£1 compared with the previous day’s N1,824.94/£1, and against the Euro, it lost N12.88 to settle at N1,599.16/€1 versus N1,586.28/€1.

In the same vein, the Naira stumbled against the Dollar yesterday by N1 to quote at N1,395/$1 versus N1,394/$1, and in the black market, it remained unchanged at N1,410/$1.

The Naira remains under pressure as FX liquidity shrank, as evidenced by the number of interbank FX deals published by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

Last week, forex intervention operations saw the apex bank inject $95 million into the supply side, but as high demand for the Dollar as a safe-haven asset continues, it strengthened the Dollar index, while the Euro, British Pound and other major trading partners weakened.

The country’s external reserves recorded a marginal decline, falling by 0.7 per cent to $49.48 billion, reflecting a depletion of about $350 million and signalling continued pressure on Nigeria’s FX buffer.

In the cryptocurrency market, reports of comments by Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian hinted at eased geopolitical tensions, which triggered gains across some assets.

Mr Pezeshkian reportedly signalled Iran would be willing to end the conflict in exchange for security guarantees, raising hopes for a diplomatic off-ramp and reducing fears of a wider regional war.

Ethereum (ETH) gained 4.4 per cent to trade at $2,150.11, Ripple (XRP) jumped 2.8 per cent to $1.36, Bitcoin (BTC) added 2.5 per cent to sell at $69,079.14, Cardano (ADA) which also rose by 2.5 per cent to $0.2518, Dogecoin (DOGE) improved by 2.4 per cent to $0.0941, Solana (SOL) grew by 1.3 per cent to $84.43, and Binance Coin (BNB) increased by 1.2 per cent to $618.86, while TRON (TRX) dipped 1.8 per cent to $0.3153, with the US Dollar Tether (USDT) and the US Dollar Coin (USDC) flat at $1.00 apiece.