Economy
Weekly Investment in Stocks Drops as Investors Monitor Environment
By Dipo Olowookere
The decision of politicians to stir up the race to Aso Rock in 2023 very earlier in 2022 is already taking its toll on the stock market in Nigeria.
Last week, former Governor of Lagos State and National Leader of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr Bola Tinubu, declared his interest to President Muhammadu Buhari to contest the nation’s highest political position next year.
After his open declaration at the Presidential Villa, others started to announce their interest in the same position and the race started to get interesting with some parts of the country rooting for Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, who is believed to be the political godson of Mr Tinubu.
For investors in the capital market, they never expected this to occupy the ecosystem in the first month of 2022. They had thought the race to Aso Rock would get heated up by the second or third quarter of the year.
With the development, some of them had to trade cautiously and this may have caused the decline in the weekly investment in stocks last week.
According to data obtained by Business Post, a total of 1.6 billion shares worth N32.7 billion were traded in 22,607 deals as against the 2.0 billion shares worth N59.0 billion transacted in 15,750 deals in the first week of the year, which only had four trading sessions.
A breakdown showed that financial stocks dominated the activity chart in the week with 731.3 million units valued at 6.5 billion traded in 10,822 deals, contributing 45.71 per cent and 19.92 per cent to the total trading volume and value respectively.
Conglomerate equities trailed with 403.7 million units worth N452.9 million in 1,537 deals, while consumer shares exchanged 314.8 million units worth N17.8 billion in 4,101 deals.
Transcorp, BUA Foods and Jaiz Bank were the most active stocks in the five-day trading week, with the sale of 775.7 million units valued at N16.6 billion executed in 2,644 deals, accounting for 48.49 per cent and 50.82 per cent of the total trading volume and value respectively.
A total of 33 equities appreciated in price during the week, lower than 40 equities in the previous week, while 35 equities depreciated in price, higher than 31 equities in the previous week, with 88 equities closing flat, lower than 84 equities recorded in the previous week.
Analysis indicated that BUA Foods was the biggest price riser as its value went up by 24.06 per cent to N66.00, followed by Transcorp, which gained 16.33 per cent to trade at N1.14.
Jaiz Bank grew by 15.25 per cent week-on-week to sell for 68 kobo, Fidson appreciated by 13.64 per cent to quote at N7.50, while Academy Press improved by 10.00 per cent to trade at 66 kobo.
On the reverse side, Sunu Assurances ended the week as the heaviest price loser after its equity price went down by 16.22 per cent to close at 31 kobo.
Mutual Benefits fell by 12.90 per cent to 27 kobo, Berger Paints dropped 9.94 per cent to N7.70, Northern Nigerian Flour Mills depreciated by 9.66 per cent to N6.55, while Custodian Investment decreased by 9.49 per cent to N7.15.
Despite the low trades, the All-Share Index and market capitalisation of the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) Limited appreciated by 1.37 per cent week-on-week to 44,454.67 points and N23.951 trillion respectively.
Similarly, all other indices finished higher with the exception of NGX CG, insurance, NGX AFR Bank Value, consumer goods and Lotus II indices, which depreciated by 0.79 per cent, 1.54 per cent, 0.07 per cent, 4.35 per cent and 1.34 per cent respectively, while the ASem, NGX Growth I and sovereign bond indices closed flat.
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
The Nigeria Police Force (NPF) has promised to work with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) Group Plc for the prevention of financial crime, and the reinforcement of trust and confidence in Nigeria’s capital market.
The Inspector General of Police, Mr Kayode Egbetokun, gave this assurance on Wednesday at the closing gong ceremony in his honour at the NGX in Lagos.
The police chief said, “A transparent and well-regulated capital market is vital to Nigeria’s economic growth. The Nigeria Police Force remains committed to working with regulators and market operators to prevent financial crime, protect investors, and uphold the integrity of our financial system.”
Earlier in his welcome address, the chairman of NGX Group, Mr Umaru Kwairanga, commended the leadership of the police in supporting market integrity.
“Market integrity is a shared responsibility. By honouring the Inspector-General of Police, we are reinforcing the importance of institutional alignment in protecting investors and preserving trust in our financial system.
“Strong collaboration between regulators, enforcement agencies, and market infrastructure institutions is essential to building a resilient and credible market that supports economic growth,” he stated.
The Director-General of SEC, Mr Emomotimi Agama, while speaking, emphasized the importance of coordinated enforcement, noting: “Investor protection is at the core of market regulation, and today’s engagement highlights how critical collaboration with law enforcement is to achieving that mandate. This partnership strengthens our enforcement capacity, enhances deterrence against illegal investment activities, and reinforces confidence in the Nigerian capital market.”
As for the chairman of NGX Limited, Mr Ahonsi Unuigbe, “A transparent and orderly market can only thrive where rules are respected and misconduct is addressed decisively. The presence of the Nigeria Police Force in this collective effort sends a strong signal that safeguarding the market is a national priority.”
Similarly, the chief executive of NGX Group, Mr Temi Popoola, stressed the importance of aligning innovation with oversight, pointing out that, “Technology and market growth must be supported by strong enforcement and investor protection frameworks. Our collaboration with the SEC and the Nigeria Police Force reflects a unified approach to preserving the credibility of Nigeria’s capital market.”
By Adedapo Adesanya
The NASD Over-the-Counter (OTC) Securities Exchange rallied by 0.09 per cent on Wednesday, February 4, amid renewed appetite for unlisted stocks.
This lifted the NASD Unlisted Security Index (NSI) by 3.18 points to 3,641.30 points from the previous session’s 3,641.30 points and raised the market capitalisation by N1.9 billion to N2.180 trillion from the N2.178 trillion quoted on Tuesday.
The bourse recorded three price gainers and four price losers at the midweek session.
The advancers were led by Air Liquide Plc, which went up by N2.04 rise to end at N22.53 per share versus the previous session’s N20.49 per share, Central Securities Clearing System (CSCS) added 97 Kobo to sell at N44.97 per unit versus N44.00 per unit, and Acorn Petroleum Plc appreciated by 2 Kobo to N1.37 per share from N1.35 per share.
On the flip side, Geo-Fluids Plc lost 55 Kobo to sell at N6.26 per unit versus N6.81 per unit, Nipco Plc depreciated by 48 Kobo to trade at N259.00 per share versus N259.48 per share, FrieslandCampina Wamco Nigeria Plc declined by 40 Kobo to N63.10 per unit from N63.50 per unit, and Industrial and General Insurance (IGI) depleted by 1 Kobo to 65 Kobo per share from 66 Kobo per share.
Yesterday, the volume of trades slid by 64.5 per cent to 2.5 million units from 7.0 million units, the value of transaction decreased by 53.2 per cent to N17.7 million from N37.9 million, and the number of deals went down by 47.1 per cent to 18 deals from 34 deals.
CSCS Plc remained the most traded stock by value on a year-to-date basis with 16.0 million units valued at N652.6 million, followed by FrieslandCampina Wamco Nigeria Plc with 1.7 million units exchanged for N111.2 million, and Geo-Fluids Plc with 11.7 million units traded for N76.1 million.
CSCS Plc was also the most active stock by volume on a year-to-date basis with 16.0 million units sold for N652.6 million, trailed by Mass Telecom Innovation Plc with 13.3 million units worth N5.3 million, and Geo-Fluids Plc with 11.7 million units valued at N76.1 million.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Naira rallied at the different segments of the foreign exchange (FX) market on Wednesday as supply continues to outweigh demand, giving it an edge against the United States Dollar.
In the parallel market, the Nigerian Naira improved its value on the greenback yesterday by N5 to quote at N1,450/$1 compared with the previous day’s N1,455/$1, and at the GTBank FX desk, it gained N3 to trade at N1,383/$1, in contrast to Tuesday’s exchange rate of N1,386/$1.
In the the Nigerian Autonomous Foreign Exchange Market (NAFEX), which is also the official market, the Naira firmed up against the Dollar at midweek by N14.63 or 1.1 per cent to settle at N1,358.28/$1 versus the preceding session’s N1,372.91/$1.
Against the Pound Sterling, the domestic currency appreciated on Wednesday by N14.16 to N1,863.43/£1 from the previous day’s N1,877.59/£1, and gained N13.73 on the Euro to end at N1,606.03/€1 versus the N1,619.76/€1 it was exchanged a day earlier.
The strengthening of the Naira value has been driven by the injection of forex into the financial markets by foreign investors seeking attractive investments in the emerging markets, helping to boost Nigeria’s external reserves, which provide the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) with the capacity to support the local currency.
As of February 4, 2026, the reserves reached $46.59 billion.
The local currency has been able to find a solid path despite no indications of any intervention from the apex bank in recent week, strengthening the case of price discovery.
Policy moves by the CBN is also offering a backbone for the FX market as it considers some strategic reforms through a policy known as the Single Regulatory Window.
In its 2025 Fintech Report, the central bank said this scheme will significantly reduce time-to-market for new digital financial products by streamlining licensing and supervisory processes across multiple agencies.
Meanwhile, the cryptocurrency market was in red amid a broad sell-off in global technology stocks, with reports showing that liquidity was notably thin, amplifying price moves and contributing to forced liquidations. The decline followed a sharp sell-off in global technology stocks overnight, where concerns over the pace of artificial intelligence adoption and rising capital spending by major firms weighed heavily on valuations.
Bitcoin (BTC) lost 7.9 per cent to sell at $70,534.94, Ripple (XRP) declined by 11.2 per cent to $1.42, Binance Coin (BNB) slumped by 9.4 per cent to $689.70, Ethereum (ETH) crashed by 8.9 per cent to $2,072.46, and Solana (SOL) dipped by 8.7 per cent to $89.86.
In addition, Dogecoin (DOGE) depreciated by 6.9 per cent to $0.1008, Cardano (ADA) slipped by 6.8 per cent to $0.2792, Litecoin (LTC) dropped 5.1 per cent to trade at $57.56, and US Dollar Tether (USDT) went down by 0.1 per cent to $0.9980, while the US Dollar Coin (USDC) closed flat at $1.00.
-
Feature/OPED6 years agoDavos was Different this year
-
Travel/Tourism9 years ago
Lagos Seals Western Lodge Hotel In Ikorodu
-
Showbiz3 years agoEstranged Lover Releases Videos of Empress Njamah Bathing
-
Banking8 years agoSort Codes of GTBank Branches in Nigeria
-
Economy3 years agoSubsidy Removal: CNG at N130 Per Litre Cheaper Than Petrol—IPMAN
-
Banking3 years agoSort Codes of UBA Branches in Nigeria
-
Banking3 years agoFirst Bank Announces Planned Downtime
-
Sports3 years agoHighest Paid Nigerian Footballer – How Much Do Nigerian Footballers Earn