Economy
Wall Street Faces Pullback on Profit Taking Fears
By Investors Hub
The major U.S. index futures are pointing to a lower opening on Tuesday, with stocks likely to give back ground after ending the previous session mostly higher.
Profit taking may contribute to initial weakness on Wall Street, as traders cash in on recent gains after the S&P 500 reached a new record closing high on Monday.
Trepidation ahead of the Federal Reserve?s monetary policy announcement on Wednesday may also inspire some traders to look for safer havens.
The Fed is widely expected to cut interest rates by another quarter point, although traders may wait to see if the central bank follows through and provides any clues about future rate cuts.
A negative reaction to the latest batch of earnings news may also weigh on the markets, with Google parent Alphabet (GOOGL) moving notably lower in pre-market trading after reporting its third quarter results.
After the close of trading on Monday, Alphabet reported third quarter earnings that missed analyst estimates, hurt largely by higher operating costs.
On the other hand, General Motors (GM) may see initial strength after reporting better than expected third quarter earnings, although the auto giant also lowered its full-year earnings guidance.
Extending the upward move seen last Friday, stocks moved mostly higher during the trading session on Monday. With the continued advance, the S&P 500 reached a record closing high and the Nasdaq moved within striking distance of a new record high.
The major averages ended the session off their best levels of the day but still firmly in positive territory. While the S&P 500 climbed 16.87 points or 0.6 percent to 3,039.42, the Nasdaq jumped 82.87 points or 1 percent to 8,325.99 and the Dow rose 132.66 points or 0.5 percent to 27,090.72.
The strength on Wall Street came amid continued optimism about U.S.-China trade talks as well as news that the European Union has granted the U.K.’s request for a Brexit deadline extension.
The move by the EU, which delays Brexit until January 31st, was widely expected but still removes the risk of a damaging no-deal split on Thursday.
News on the merger-and-acquisition from also generated some buying interest, with shares of Tiffany (TIF) soaring after French luxury goods maker LVMH confirmed it is talks to acquire the jeweler.
Reports suggest LVMH’s bid would value Tiffany at about $120 per share or $14.5 billion. Tiffany ended last Friday’s trading at $98.55 a share.
Liberty Property Trust (LPT) also moved sharply higher after agreeing to be acquired by rival commercial real estate firm Prologis (PLD) in an all-stock deal valued at $12.6 billion.
Shares of Fitbit (FIT) also spiked in recent trading after a report from Reuters said Google parent Alphabet (GOOGL) has offered to acquire the wearable device maker.
The end of a 40-day strike at auto giant General Motors (GM) added to the positive sentiment, as members of the United Auto Workers union approved a new four-year contract.
Steel stocks showed a substantial move to the upside on the day, driving the NYSE Arca Steel Index up by 1.9 percent to its best closing level in well over a month.
Considerable strength was also visible among software stocks, as reflected by the 1.8 percent jump by the Dow Jones U.S. Software Index.
Software giant Microsoft (MSFT) posted a strong gain after beating out Amazon (AMZN) for a $10 billion cloud computing contract with the Pentagon.
Biotechnology and semiconductor stocks also saw significant strength on the day, contributing to the notable advance by the tech-heavy Nasdaq.
While financial and healthcare stocks also moved to the upside on the day, notable weakness emerged among gold, natural gas and utilities stocks.
By Adedapo Adesanya
Central Securities Clearing System (CSCS) Plc kept the NASD Over-the-Counter (OTC) Securities Exchange in the green territory by 0.04 per cent on Friday, July 16.
The securities depository company added N2.50 to its share price to settle at N95.14 per unit from the preceding session’s N92.64 per unit.
However, FrieslandCampina Wamco Nigeria Plc slid during the session by N5.85 to N141.81 per share from N147.66 per share.
But when the bourse closed for the day, the market capitalisation increased by N1.08 billion to N2.593 trillion from N2.592 trillion, while the NASD Security Index (NSI) appreciated by 1.80 points to 4,320.67 points from 4,318.87 points.
During the session, the value of securities slid by 38.9 per cent to N63.5 million from N104.1 million, the volume of securities went down by 34.5 per cent to 1.2 million units from 4.8 million units, and the number of deals declined by 15.4 per cent to 33 deals from 39 deals.
Great Nigeria Insurance (GNI) Plc was the most traded stock by value on a year-to-date basis, with 3.4 billion units valued at N8.4 billion, followed by Infrastructure Credit Guarantee (Infracredit) Plc with 2.3 billion units worth N6.5 billion, and CSCS Plc with 75.4 million units traded for N5.3 billion.
GNI Plc also ended the day as the most traded stock by volume on a year-to-date basis, with 3.4 billion units exchanged for N8.4 billion, followed by Infracredit Plc with 2.3 billion units sold for N6.5 billion, and Resourcery Plc with 1.1 billion units transacted for N415.7 million.
By Dipo Olowookere
The bulls regained control of the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) Limited on Friday after surrendering power to the bears a day earlier as a result of mild selling pressure.
Yesterday, the Nigerian bourse rebounded by 0.54 per cent, mainly due to the gains recorded by First Holdco and others.
Data harvested by Business Post indicated that the industrial goods and energy sectors were flat, while the banking index chalked up 3.13 per cent. The insurance space expanded by 1.08 per cent, and the consumer goods counter rose by 0.21 per cent.
Consequently, the All-Share Index (ASI) went up by 1,316.52 points to 243,462.13 points from 242,145.61 points, and the market capitalisation grew by N850 billion to N157.057 trillion from N156.207 trillion.
The market breadth index was bullish during the last trading session of this week, printing 31 appreciating stocks and 23 depreciating stocks, representing strong investor sentiment.
First Holdco led the advancers’ log after it climbed 9.97 per cent to N95.95, Haldane McCall appreciated by 9.94 per cent to N3.65, LivingTrust Mortgage Bank soared by 9.73 per cent to N3.72, LASACO Assurance jumped by 5.26 per cent to N2.00, and Thomas Wyatt gained 5.10 per cent to quote at N3.09.
On the flip side, Red Star Express declined by 9.50 per cent to N20.00, Omatek slipped by 6.08 per cent to N1.70, C&I Leasing shrank by 5.93 per cent to N5.55, Jaiz Bank crashed by 5.03 per cent to N8.50, and Livestock Feed fell by 3.89 per cent to N8.65.
As for the activity chart, market participants bought and sold 685.9 million equities for N42.7 billion in 44,134 deals on Friday versus the 498.5 million equities worth N34.9 billion traded in 39,484 deals on Thursday, implying a rise in the trading volume, value, and number of deals by 37.59 per cent, 22.35 per cent, and 11.78 per cent, respectively.
Investors’ darling for the day was First Holdco, with a turnover of 225.9 billion units valued at N21.0 billion, Guinea Insurance sold 53.4 million units for N45.2 million, Zenith Bank traded 41.5 million units worth N4.7 billion, Access Holdings exchanged 29.1 million units valued at N720.6 million, and UBA exchanged 27.5 million units for N1.2 billion.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
The Africa Association of Professional Freight Forwarders and Logistics of Nigeria (APFFLON) has appealed to the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) to deepen its sensitisation on the newly introduced Green Tax Surcharge Policy.
The chairman of APFFLON, Mr Akeem Ayobiojo, made this plea on behalf of his colleagues on Tuesday, July 14, 2026, at the Customs House in Abuja, during a stakeholders’ engagement with the agency.
He also called for improvements in the administration of Pre-Arrival Assessment Reports and Post Clearance Audit and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
Mr Ayobiojo stated that freight forwarders were happy to work with the customs, commending the organisation for implementing Chapter 99, describing it as a major relief for manufacturers.
He, however, emphasised that a deeper understanding of the new tax was necessary for his members, saying more predictable procedures would reduce delays and unexpected costs for importers and freight forwarders.
In his remarks, the Comptroller-General of Customs, Mr Adewale Adeniyi, assured manufacturers, freight forwarders and other players in the nation’s trade sector that the NCS would continue to engage them on fiscal policies affecting their businesses, saying sustained dialogue remains key to resolving implementation challenges and improving the country’s trading environment.
He also promised them the service’s resolve to enhance and facilitate trade, acknowledging that, “Your feedback is important because it helps us understand what is happening in the field, and where necessary, we will take your concerns to the Federal Ministry of Finance and other relevant government institutions.”
Speaking about Authorised Economic Operator (AEO), Mr Adeniyi further explained that Nigeria would not lower the standards required under the Authorised Economic Operator Programme as the initiative is guided by global benchmarks established by the World Customs Organisation (WCO).
On her part, the Deputy Comptroller-General of Customs for Tariff and Trade, Ms Caroline Niagwan, clarified that electric vehicles can be imported without payment of duty only by holders of Import Duty Exemption Certificate (IDEC) issued by the Federal Ministry of Finance.
She also urged importers facing classification disputes to take advantage of the Advance Ruling system, noting, “Once an Advance Ruling is issued based on genuine documentation, importers have certainty on classification, valuation or origin before the goods arrive, thereby reducing unnecessary disputes during clearance.”
