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Yuletide: Nigerian Stock Market Grows By 3.88%

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Few hours to Christmas, activities on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) opened for the week yesterday on a bullish trend following massive gains.
NSE report say that contrary to expectations, the All-Share Index closed trading for Yuletide with 3.88 per cent growth to close at 31,967.01 against 30,773.64 recorded on Friday.
Similarly, the market capitalisation inched N436 billion or 3.88 per cent to close at N11.676 trillion compared with N11.240 trillion achieved on Friday.
Analysts at InvestData Ltd. attributed the development to prevailing cheap prices of stocks that triggered investors’ sentiments for short and long term gains.
“We expect the overall market sentiment to remain mixed with rekindled buying interest on blue chip stocks that had suffered huge losses before now, with strong earnings capacity that is trending up.
“The prevailing cheap prices of stocks may trigger investor-buying sentiments for short and long term gains.
“We expect speculative trading on major stocks with strong potential upside to shape the breadth of market performance this week, while watching the political space, since Q3 numbers have given insights into what the expected Q3 GDP and full year company earnings power will be,” the analysts said.
A breakdown of the activity chart shows that the market recorded 36 gainers and five losers.
Nestle led the gainers’ table during the day, gaining N147 to close at N1,617.10 per share.
Seplat followed with N58.40 to close at N642.90, while Dangote Cement gained N7 to close at N194 per share.
Conversely, Lafarge Africa topped the laggards’ table with a loss of 10k to close at N12.50 per share.
United Capital trailed with a loss of 6k to close at N2.82, while Guinea Insurance was down by 2k to close at 23k.
Tantalizer dipped 1k to close at 20k, while John Holt shed 1k to close at 44k per share.
In the same vein, the volume of shares traded inched 269.45 per cent, while valued of shares appreciated by 41.42 per cent.
Specifically, investors bought and sold 715.04 million shares valued at N5.19 billion in 2,789 deals.
This was in contrast to a turnover of 193.54 million shares worth N3.67 billion transacted in 2,922 deals on Friday.
NEM Insurance was the most active stock during the day, exchanging 508.665 million shares valued at N1.5 billion.
Medview Air followed with an account of 54.76 million shares worth N98.11 million, while Guaranty Trust Bank traded 26.02 million shares valued at N892.01 million.
Transcorp sold 19.36 million shares worth N23.81 million, while Zenith Bank traded 9.49 million shares valued at N218.77 million.
NAN reports that the stock market will be closed for two days to mark Christmas and Boxing Day

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Association Woos Govt, Coys On  Boat Operators  Employments

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The leadership of Bonny Maritime Boat Association has called on Rivers state Government and oil companies operating in the state to provide sustainable employment to unemployed boat Operators.
The Association also want the government, companies and other relevant employers of labour to provide trainings for boat Operators to enhance their skills
Safety Officer of the Association, Comrade Kingdom Kingsley made this known in  a  telephone interview with  The Tide.
He noted that most of the boat Operators and owners plying Bonny route lacks jobs due to the fleets of boats introduced by Bonny Road Transport that had taken over the passengers to the Island
He noted that passengers are no longer patronizing boats owned by the Association, thereby rendering the operators redundant
“Most of our operators can not afford to feed their families due to no jobs, we don’t want to indulge in crime, government should fix our members with  sustainable jobs to take care of their immediate needs”
He called on oil companies operating in the state to engage their skilled boat Operators in their companies to reduce the sufferings faced by the Association.
The Safety Officer called on the state government  to made funds available to unemployed youths in the state to start up business than roam the streets.
He noted that provision of funds to youths would reduce crime rates and reposition their mindsets for a better life
“The  youths of Rivers state are suffering, have no job to feed their families, thereby indulging in criminality daily”
“The youths need empowerment,  jobs,  recreational facilities and better things of life as citizens of this Nation”, Kingsley said.
CHINEDU WOSU
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FG Approves $1 Bn AFCFTA Credit Facility For Nigerian Exporters

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The Federal Government has approved a whooping $1bn credit facility to support Nigerian exporters and small scale businesses to take advantage of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) in order to boost production, competitiveness and intra-African trade.
The $1bn AfCFTA Adjustment Fund Credit Facility is also expected to address some of the financing gap being faced by Nigerian exporters and enhance the competitiveness of African businesses within the continental market.
The Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Jumoke Oduwole, disclosed this  during the second quarter 2026 meeting of the AfCFTA Central Coordination Committee held in Abuja.
According to a statement issued by the ministry’s Head of Press and Public Relations, Obilor-Duru Okechi, Oduwole said the financing facility represented a major opportunity for Nigerian businesses seeking to expand operations, modernise production processes and increase exports to African markets.
The statement partly read, “?The Federal Government has reaffirmed its commitment to accelerating Nigeria’s export-led growth agenda under the African Continental Free Trade Area, unveiling opportunities for businesses to access a US$1 billion AfCFTA Adjustment Fund Credit Facility aimed at boosting production, competitiveness, and intra-African trade.”
She noted that despite the progress Nigeria had made in implementing the continental trade agreement, many local businesses continued to face obstacles that limited their ability to take advantage of the single African market.
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“Many businesses still face challenges relating to export documentation, certification, standards compliance and market access,” the minister said.
She explained that the Federal Government was addressing these bottlenecks through enhanced trade facilitation measures, simplified AfCFTA guidance tools, stakeholder engagement programmes and stronger collaboration with institutions such as the Nigeria Customs Service and the Nigerian Export Promotion Council.
Oduwole stressed the need to strengthen Nigeria’s legal and regulatory framework by domesticating key AfCFTA protocols, particularly the Digital Trade Protocol, to position the country as a major player in Africa’s growing digital economy.
The minister also highlighted some of the gains recorded in Nigeria’s AfCFTA implementation efforts.
According to her, the expansion of Nigeria’s Air Cargo Corridor Initiative to Rwanda, increased collaboration with development partners and private sector players, as well as sustained engagement with state governments, were helping to deepen awareness and participation in the continental market.
In her welcome address and first-quarter update, the National Coordinator and Chief Executive Officer of the Nigeria AfCFTA Coordination Office, Mrs Patience Okala, provided details of the financing initiative.
Okala said the $1bn AfCFTA Adjustment Fund Credit Facility was targeted at large African businesses with a minimum financing capacity of $10m.
She revealed that the National AfCFTA Coordination Office was working closely with fund managers to facilitate access for eligible Nigerian companies and had begun assembling a pilot group of businesses to ensure that Nigeria maximised the opportunities provided by the facility.
Nkpemenyie Mcdominic, Lagos
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NIWA Harps On  Avoidance Of Leaking Boats

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The National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) has advised Nigerians against boarding boats that require constant bailing of water in the interest of their safety.
 NIWA Area Manager for Cross River and Ebonyi, Mr Stanley Onuoha gave this warning in an interview with Newsmen in Calabar.
Onuoha who spoke on waterway
safety, said that passengers should take responsibility for their safety by inspecting boats before embarking on any journey.
According to him, repeated scooping of water from a boat is a clear indication that the vessel may be leaking.
“If you are entering a boat and see people using a bailer to remove water, it is the first signal that the boat is leaking,” he said.
He urged passengers to check the integrity of boats, including seating arrangements and other visible safety features.
The Manager restated the importance of using safety jackets, saying that damaged jackets may fail during emergencies.
He further said that passengers should ensure that safety jackets were appropriate for their body sizes in order to guarantee effective flotation.
 Onuoha reiterated the need for passengers to fill manifests before departure to aid accountability during emergencies.
The NIWA official further advised travellers to monitor weather conditions and avoid boarding boats when the weather is unfavourable.
According to him, poor weather conditions can trigger strong tidal waves capable of affecting small boats commonly used on inland waterways.
He said that waterway journeys should be embarked upon between 6.00a.m and 6.00p.m for clearer visibility.
Onuoha said  the Authority had continued to sensitise riverine communities to the need for safety precautions during waterway journeys.
He stated that sustained awareness campaigns and enforcement measures had contributed to safety waterway safety in Cross River.
CHINEDU WOSU
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