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Asset Management Company Comes On Stream … As Stocks Begin To Rally

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The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has set up a technical team to value bad bank loans that will be purchased by the new Asset Management Company (AMC) which comes on stream this month. The CBN and finance ministry have finalised plans for the take-off of the asset management firm which will buy up non-performing loans in exchange for government bonds in order to free up banks’ balance sheets.

In fact, analysts have posited that the impact on liquidity might spur the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) into embarking on excess liquidity mop up or a likely hike in Monetary Policy Rate (MPR) in its July Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meeting.

According to Bismarck Rewane, chief executive of Financial Derivatives Company Limited, in its May report presented at the Monthly Lagos Business School Meeting, short recovery is expected in the next couple of weeks as market bounces back from current low as a result of expected liquidity inflow.

Razia Khan, regional head of research, Africa Standard Bank, said the recovery of oil prices and output, creation of the AMC, and government’s spending plans ahead of elections in 2011 will all add to money supply. She, however, said recovery will be short-lived due to expected increase in interest rates, and further pressure on exchange rate as the holiday season approaches.

“Expect to see a lull in market activity in the summer months, while intervention by regulatory agencies on the broker-dealer community may reduce activities on the stock exchange and introduce further downwards pressure”, she said.

According to Khan, so far the stock market has been showing strong correlation with interest rate environment. For instance, high interest rate volatility has contributed to the volatility in the stock market, with the stock market benefiting from depressed rate environment as investors sought higher yields. In fact, the analysts are sure the apex bank may tinker with the idea of raising rates in its July meeting due to growing money supply.

Khan is, however, optimistic that the fixed income market (a market for trading bonds and other preferred stocks) will benefit as corporate bonds will be issued at higher yields.

For instance, N80 billion FGN bond was sold in the month of May. Similarly, a N25 billion was sold at the 3-year bond end of the market at a yield of 5.5 per cent, while another N25 billion was sold at the 5-year end of the market at 4.0 percent. The N30 billion was sold at the 20-year at 8.5 per cent. Successful bids for the three, five and 10-year offers were allotted at the marginal rate of 8.25 percent, 9.00 per cent and 10.00 per cent.

On how the CBN had fared in one year of Lamido Sanusi’s stewardship as governor, Khan said the apex bank is likely to be encouraged to continue its unbundling of universal banking.

 She expects further regulation of banking entities and consolidated supervision to intensify in the coming years. However, she identified some policy challenges such as fiscal dominance and indiscipline at the sub-national government level, and temptation to bleed the Excess Crude Account (ECA) as areas to watch out for.

Others include ensuring an orderly succession at the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), weeding out the insolvent and insidious broker/dealers and sanitising the capital market. The House of Representatives signed a harmonised bill on Thursday, while the Senate is expected to vote on the legislation when it resumes work on June 22. “The central bank and the finance ministry have already set up technical teams that are doing implementation,” Central Bank governor, Lamido Sanusi told CNBC Africa television.

“We are looking at the toxic assets, we are looking at the value of the collateral, we are working on valuation models.” With bad loans off banks’ books, CBN hopes financial institutions will resume lending which had ceased since last year’s $4 billion bail-out of nine weak lenders.

“We will have a return to credit growth. It will be gradual but this time it is hopefully going to be sustainable,” Sanusi said. The central bank wants new investors to recapitalise the rescued lenders but they are unlikely to do so until after the AMC purchases the bad loans.

“By the time we have done the M & A (mergers and acquisitions), taken off the toxic assets and gone through a recapitalisation process, the supply side of credit will improve,” he said.

Sanusi also raised concerns over the state of the troubled airline industry and its potential impact on the banking system. “Every airline in the country seems to have non-performing loans,” he said. “One airline, for instance, owes a bank over N100 billion. Now that is enough to wipe out the entire capital of the bank.”

CBN is already extending a N500 billion fund meant to stimulate credit to the power and manufacturing sectors to airlines.

Meanwhile, after a round of profit taking precipitated a recent downturn in stock values, Nigeria’s stock market will begin a sustained rebound with the commencement of AMC as stock prices are expected to start an ascent in value, analysts have predicted.

The coming on stream of the AMC coincides with the expected rise in government spending, occasioned by federal government’s lining up of a supplementary budget to take care of certain overheads by ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs). This will increase the spending capacity of civil servants and, in turn, boost activities at the stock market.

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Eazipay  Offers Zero-Interest Loans To  150,000 SMEs, Employees

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With a mission to ignite growth, encourage business continuity and help businesses and employees thrive, Eazipay is gearing up to propel the dreams of 150,000 SMEs and employees to new heights through her relief fund.
Gone are the days of financial constraints and stifled dreams. With Eazipay’s support, SMEs and employees alike can bid farewell to limitations and embrace a world of endless possibilities.
Whether it’s start up,  business expansion or personal development, Eazipay is here to make dreams come true.
The mind-blowing initiative, which  kicked off this month, would end in December, and will also offer a range of perks and benefits designed to put a smile on the faces of SMEs and employees alike.
From exclusive discounts to various advisory services and beyond, Eazipay is committed to spreading happiness and creating lasting impact in people’s lives and to the growth of businesses.
The technology company which offers products and services that range from payroll management to IT/Device management and assessments, “Eazipay isn’t just providing financial support but also unleashing a wave of growth and prosperity for SMEs and employees across the nation.
“Interested businesses and individuals can take part in this initiative directly from the Eazipay website: www.myeazipay.com”.

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SMEs Critical For Sustainable Dev – Commissioner

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The Commissioner of Finance, Lagos State, Abayomi Oluyomi, has described Small and medium Enterprises (SMEs) as a critical engine for sustainable development in any economy.
He said this recently at the 10th anniversary of the Alert Group Microfinance Bank and the opening of their new head office in Lagos.
According to the National Bureau of Statistics, SMEs accounted for about 50 per cent of Nigeria’s gross.
He commended the positive impact of the Alert MFB as it empowers SMEs in the State.
“Alert MFB in the past 10 years has been at the forefront of empowering SMEs in Lagos State, disbursing over N30bn in loans to over 30,000 individuals having small to medium businesses over that period, which is quite remarkable”, he said.
Speaking, the Group Managing Director of Alert Group, Dr Kazeem Olanrewaju, revealed that the financial institution commenced business in 2013 as a microfinance bank.
“We started this journey in 2013 and it has been expanding. Today, they have about 10 branches across Lagos. They have supported well over 30,000 clients and have disbursed over N30bn.
“The company has been profitable since the second year. Looking at the market and the available opportunity, the Alert MFB board decided to come together to establish a Microfinance Institute (MFI), which is the Auto Bucks Lenders”, Dr. Olanrewaju said.
The GMD further stated that the company was focused more on supporting businesses and small and medium enterprises.
“The loan to support business represents over 98 per cent. The consumer loans you will see are the ones given to entrepreneurs. So, the area of focus of Alert MFB and Auto Bucks Lenders is to support businesses across the country.
“With the establishment of Auto Bucks Lenders, we have the opportunity to also do business outside Lagos. So, presently, we have offices in Ogun State and Oyo State. We intend to go to every part of Nigeria to support what we are doing”, he declared.

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Retailers Explain Price Drop In  Cement Cost

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The cement market, in the last couple of weeks, has seen a significant turnaround with prices tumbling from between N10,000 and N15,000 per 50kg bag to between N7,000 and N8,000.
The sudden rise in the prices of cement and other major building materials in February this year upsets  the construction industry, especially in real estate, where many developers were forced to abandon building sites.
A recent market survey conducted by The Tide’s source in different locations across the country confirmed a price drop, ranging between N7,000 and N7,500 per bag, though BUA cement is selling for N7,500 to N7,800 per 50kg bag, depending on location.
Both entrepreneurs and major distributors who were interviewed,  explained that the price drop is due to low demand and government’s intervention.
At the peak of the price hike, the Federal Government called a meeting with major producers where it was agreed that a bag of cement should be between for N7,000 to N8,000, depending on location.
But the producers did not comply with this agreement immediately, followin which “Nigerians stopped demanding for cement; many project sites were abandoned as developers sat back and waited for the prices to come down.
“So, what has happened is an inter-play of demand and supply with price responding, which is Economics at work”, Collins Okpala, a cement dealer, told the source in Abuja.
In the Nyanya area of the Federal Capital Territory, a 50-kg bag of Dangote cement now sells for between N7,000 and N7,500, while BUA cement sells for between N8,500 and N9,500, down from between N11,000 and N12,000 respectively.
In Lagos, the product has seen significant price drop too. In Ojo area of the state, Sebastin Ovie, a dealer, told our reporter that what has happened is a crash from the January price, attributing the crash to low demand and stronger naira.
“The current price of the product is between N7,000 and N7,500 per 50kg bag, depending on the brand. This is a significant drop from the average of N12,000 which most dealers were selling in February and March”, he said.
A dealer in Agege area of the state who identified himself as Taofik Olateju, told the source that sales are picking up due to the drop in price.
He recalled that Nigerians at a point stopped buying due to the high price of the product at N15,000 per bag.
“I am sure most dealers ran at a loss then because we had mainly old stocks which we wanted to offload quickly”, he said, confirming that the product sells for between N7,500 and N8,000, depending on the brand and the demand for the brand.
Continuing, Olateju noted that “because the naira is now doing well against the dollar, it will be unreasonable for manufacturers to continue to sell the product at the old prices. I also believe that the federal government’s intervention and the threat to license more importers may have worked, leading to the reduction in price”.
In Enugu, the source reports that the product sells for between N7,200 and N7,500 depending on the brand and location.
“This is a city where the price of a 50kg bag went for as high as N12,000 and N13,000 in some cases in February and March”, Samuel Chikwendu said.
He added that the prices of other building materials, especially iron rods, have also dropped considerably which is why, he said, activities are picking up again at construction sites.
The story is slightly different in Owerri, the capital of Imo State, where Innocent Okonkwo told the source that low demand was also driving the price drop, adding that a 50kg bag was selling for N9,000 on the average in the state.
Sundry market observers are optimistic of further price reductions, but they remain cautious as manufacturers, wholesalers, and retailers continue to play critical roles in setting prices for end-users.
They lamented, however, that despite Nigeria’s status as one of the largest producers of cement in Africa, the price of the product continues to rise, particularly in the face of high inflation impacting the building materials market generally.
Okpala in Abuja highlighted the variations arising from direct sourcing from manufacturers versus procurement through dealers, with traders holding old stocks selling products at prices ranging from N8,500, N8,300 to N8,000 per bag.
Lucy Nwachukwu, another dealer in Abuja, said the significance of  procurement volume in determining cement costs, noting that stability in prices has been observed over the past month, with the product retailing for between N7,000 and N7,800 depending on the brand.
In Port Harcourt also, a customer, Daniel Etteobong Effiong, said the price goes between N7500 to N8500, depending on the brand and the location one is buying from.

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