Business
Bond Market Records N79.8bn Transaction
The hull which trailed activities in the equities sector recently, extended to the over-the-counter bond market as investors staked 73.56 million units of bonds compared to 298.75 million units exchanged in the previous week.
Precisely, a total of 73.56 billion units of bonds worth N79.8 billion changed hands recently, down from a turnover of 298.7 million shares valued at N335.7 billion traded in the preceding week.
Similarly, the equities sector recorded a turnover of 1.3 billion shares worth N11.01 billion previously, in contrast to 2.2 billion shares valued at N10.95 billion which changed hands in the previous week.
However, the low volume was attributed to the number of days in which transactions were done at the stock market, as the market only opened for three days instead of five days in commemoration of Christmas and Boxing Day.
Although there were no transactions in the Federal Government Development Stocks, State Government Bonds and Industrial Loans/Preference Stocks sectors, the 6th FGN Bond 2012 series 2 was the most active bond with a traded volume of 10.5 million units valued at N10.8 billion, followed by the 6th FGN Bond 2029 series 3 with a traded volume of 9.2 million units valued at N10.9 billion.
With the amount of price losses outweighing price gains, corporate performance indicators dropped by 0.36 per cent as the All- Share Index depreciated by 73.17 points from 20,601.99 at which it opened the Week on Monday to 20,528.82 points on Wednesday, while market capitalisation closed lower at N4.917 trillion from N4.935 trillion on Monday.
Similarly, three of the four sectoral indices depreciated. For instance the NSE Food/Beverages Index dropped by 0.61 per cent to close at 414.38 points while the NSE Banking index dropped by 1.51 per cent to close at 332.46 points.
Furthermore, the NSE Insurance Index dropped by 0.75 per cent to close at 247.76 points while the NSE Oil/Gas Index however remained constant at 290.55 points.
On the Week’s price movement chart, Flour Mills of Nigeria Plc led 44 other stocks to suffer price depreciation losing 280 Kobo to close at N127.50 million per share, while Nigerian Breweries Plc lost 201 Kobo to close at N50.00 per share.
Furthermore, CAP Plc, Glaxo Smithkline Consumer Plc and Eterna Oil, Julius Berger Nigeria Plc and Gas Plc all shed 123 Kobo, 118 Kobo, 109 Kobo and 94 Kobo each to close at N28.00, N22.44, N25.90, and N5.79 respectively.
On the other hand Chevron Oil Nigeria Plc topped the weeks gainers chart with 332 Kobo to close at N69.79 per share, flowed by Ecobank Transnational Incorporated with 80 Kobo to close at N14.70 per share, while Presco Plc added 60 Kobo to close at N5.62 per share.
Some of the other price gainers for the week include Guaranty Trust Bank Plc, Dangote Flour Mills Plc, Skye Bank Plc, Afribank Nigeria Plc, all of which added 41 Kobo, 31 Kobo, 25 Kobo, and 25 Kobo each to close at N15.51, N8.71, N5.75, N2.19 and N5.15 respectively.
A close look at activities in the equities sector showed that the banking sub-sector was the most active in volume terms during the week with an exchange of 845.12 million shares worth N7.38 billion, followed by the insurance sub-sector with a turnover of 224.11 million shares valued at N313 million while the food, beverages and tobacco sub-sector traded 33.6 million shares worth N568 million.
Further analysis of activities in the sub-sector showed that the volume in the banking sub-sector was largely driven by activity in the shares of United Bank for Africa Plc and Guaranty Trust Bank Plc.
Business
FEC Approves Concession Of Port Harcourt lnt’l Airport
Business
Senate Orders NAFDAC To Ban Sachet Alcohol Production by December 2025 ………Lawmakers Warn of Health Crisis, Youth Addiction And Social Disorder From Cheap Liquor
The upper chamber’s resolution followed an exhaustive debate on a motion sponsored by Senator Asuquo Ekpenyong (Cross River South), during its sitting, last Thursday.
He warned that another extension would amount to a betrayal of public trust and a violation of Nigeria’s commitment to global health standards.
Ekpenyong said, “The harmful practice of putting alcohol in sachets makes it as easy to consume as sweets, even for children.
“It promotes addiction, impairs cognitive and psychomotor development and contributes to domestic violence, road accidents and other social vices.”
Senator Anthony Ani (Ebonyi South) said sachet-packaged alcohol had become a menace in communities and schools.
“These drinks are cheap, potent and easily accessible to minors. Every day we delay this ban, we endanger our children and destroy more futures,” he said.
Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, who presided over the session, ruled in favour of the motion after what he described as a “sober and urgent debate”.
Akpabio said “Any motion that concerns saving lives is urgent. If we don’t stop this extension, more Nigerians, especially the youth, will continue to be harmed. The Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria has spoken: by December 2025, sachet alcohol must become history.”
According to him, “This is not just about alcohol regulation. It is about safeguarding the mental and physical health of our people, protecting our children, and preserving the future of this nation.
“We cannot allow sachet alcohol to keep destroying lives under the guise of business.”
According to him, “This is not just about alcohol regulation. It is about safeguarding the mental and physical health of our people, protecting our children, and preserving the future of this nation.
“We cannot allow sachet alcohol to keep destroying lives under the guise of business.”
Business
PHCCIMA Leadership Hails Rivers Commerce Commissioner for Boosting Business Ties …..Urges Deeper Collaboration to Ignite Economic Growth
