Business
Q3’18: Operators Task Investors On Stocks Investment
On the back of the persistent decline in the equities market and anticipation of release of third quarter 2018 (Q3’18) earnings reports by quoted companies, operators in the market have urged investors to adjust their portfolio to accommodate stocks with history of resilient revenue growth and consistent dividend payment.
They also advised investors to seize opportunity presented by low prices of stocks to buy more, saying that the bearish outlook presents an opportunity for bargain hunting.
The counsel comes as the stock market took a breather last week, halting three weeks of consecutive losses, which resulted in 0.66 percent increase in the All Share Index, ASI, to 32,540.17 points.
Similarly, the market capitalisation appreciated by the same margin to close at N11.880 trillion from N11.802 trillion the ros Capital said that the bearish outlook that characterized the market has also been followed by recoveries.“Hence, the crystallisation of the orizon to hunt for bargains immediately the market bottoms out. potential risks, especially in relation to pre-election uncertainties, presents an opportunity for investors with a medium to long-term horizon to hunt for bargains immediately the market bottoms out.
“Also in buying the dip, we recommend choosing tive market sentiment,” they said.stocks which have demonstrated a solid history of resilient revenue growth, earnings stability, dividend consistency, and positive market sentiment,” they said.
They observed that despite the pressure in the polity, Q3’18 corporate earnings are unlikely to be excessively negative in light of the recovery in the broader economy, adding that bottom line numbers for some of the companies are set to improve.
“Accordingly, notwithstanding the distraction in the political climate, we are of the view that investing in stocks with consistent dividend payment profile, stable earnings, and stock market liquidity is clearly strategic,” they said.
Also, Mrs. Toyin Sanni, CEO, Emerging Africa Capital Group, said: “The fact that prices are depressed now actually gives the opportunity for bargain hunting and ultimately the value of stocks will go up as the tension in political space begins to go down.”
Meanwhile, analysis of trading activity last week shows that all major sectors with the exception of the insurance sector closed in green with the banking sectors leading the rebound with 2.67 percent increase.
Oil and gas sector followed, rising by 2.60 percent, while the industrial goods and consumer goods sector went up by 2.43 percent and 0.96 percent respectively. Conversely, the insurance sector depreciated by 4.90 percent on account of losses in Standard Alliance Insurance.
Business
Wealth Creation: GCPBS Convenes Strategic Investment Workshop In PH
Banking/ Finance
Ripple Survey Reveals Appetite for Digital Assets
Cornerstone of Financial Services
A survey of more than 1 000 global finance leaders undertaken by digital payment network Ripple shows that 72% of respondents believe they need to offer a digital asset solution to remain competitive.
According to Ripple, leaders from the banking, fintech, corporate and asset management sector have made it clear that the “digital asset revolution is happening now”.
“Digital assets are quickly becoming a cornerstone of financial services, underpinned by progressive regulation, growing interest from Tier-1 banks, a steady consumer shift from banks to fintech providers, and booming stablecoin adoption,” Ripple says.
The survey was conducted in early 2026 and the findings released in March.
Stablecoin Boon or Bane?
Ripple has experienced significant success in the stablecoin sector since launching its Ripple USD (RLUSD) stablecoin in 2024.
With a market cap of $1.56 billion, it is considered a major regulated player in the market.
No doubt the platform was pleased to learn through its own survey that financial leaders were most bullish about stablecoins.
Roughly three-quarters of respondents believed they could boost cash-flow efficiency and unlock trapped working capital.
Ripple noted that finance leaders were thinking about stablecoins as more than “just a new way to execute payments”; instead, they viewed them as effective tools for treasury management.
In March 2026, Ripple began testing a new trade finance model built around RLUSD in a bid to increase the speed of cross-border payments.
The pilot initiative, developed alongside supply chain finance company Unloq [https://unloq.com], is running on the XRP Ledger inside a testing framework developed by the Monetary Authority of Singapore.
The Asian city-state is one of the platform’s biggest growth markets.
The idea behind the project is to see whether stablecoin-based settlement can streamline trade finance, too often hampered by reliance on intermediaries and slow reconciliation.
The only potential drawback is that if the initiative takes off, the Ripple to USD price could be negatively affected.
Ripple has always championed its native XRP token as a bridge asset, the “middleman” in the process of a financial institution turning dollars in the US into pounds in the UK, for example.
Ripple converts dollars into XRP and then back into pounds.
If RLUSD can do exactly the same thing, questions will be asked about XRP’s relevance.
That is a bridge Ripple will have to cross if it gets to that point.
Tokenisation Partners
Another interesting finding from Ripple’s survey is that most banks and asset managers are seeking tokenisation partners to help execute their strategies.
Some 89% of respondents said digital asset storage and custody were top priority. “Token servicing/lifecycle management also ranks highly for banks at 82%, while asset managers place greater emphasis on primary distribution at 80%,” Ripple found.
The survey also revealed that just more than half of fintechs and financial institutions want an infrastructure provider that can offer a “one-stop-shop solution”. This rose to 71% among corporate financial leaders.
Ripple attributes this to institutions and firms wanting uncomplicated, cohesive systems.
Infrastructure Rules
In its final analysis, Ripple says companies across the board are looking for partners and solutions that are “secure, compliant, battle-tested and that enable growth and execution”.
“The message is clear: infrastructure decisions made today will shape competitive positioning tomorrow.”
No surprise that this is precisely where Ripple is placing much of its focus.
Business
Niger Delta Investment Summit Targets $5bn Inflows, 500,000 Jobs
-
Nation5 days agoRivers State Judiciary Counters NBA National Position over Contempt Ruling, Says Judge Acted Within the Law
-
Sports21 hours ago
WAN Mourns Ex-NFF President Galadima
-
Politics21 hours ago
Ekiti 2026: IPC Trains Journalists On Election Coverage
-
Sports21 hours ago
Brentford Miss Chance To Move Up
-
Sports21 hours ago
NBA PlayOff: Lakers Make Winning Start
-
Politics21 hours ago
GROUP BLASTS ATIKU CRITICAL COMMENTS AGAINST JONATHAN … SAYS EX-VP CAREER ASPIRANT
-
Politics21 hours ago
INEC To Display Voters Register April 29 As CVR Phase II Closes Nationwide
-
Politics21 hours ago
You Must Win Elections To Be Credible Opposition, Wike Tells PDP
