Business
Capital Market: Expert Urges Caution On Borrowing
Investors in the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) have been urged to avoid borrowing from the banks to invest in the capital market.
Mr Afolabi Adefiranye, General Manager, Professional Stockbrokers Ltd, told the newsmen on Friday in Lagos that it was always safer for portfolio investors to invest out their income.
Adefiranye reiterated that some of the investors that were adversely affected during the global economic meltdown were those who borrowed money from banks and other sources.
He said that with the take off of the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON), the capital market was set for a full recovery.
According to Adefiranye, there is every indication that the capital market will do better by the end of the first quarter of 2011 because some stocks have risen in price value.
“As the capital market is picking up gradually, there is the need for investors to be careful where they get money to invest to avoid biting their fingers the second time,” he said.
He said that there was nothing wrong with investors off-loading their shares when the shares had risen in price value because the purpose of investing was to make profit.
Our correspondent reports that a good percentage of investors, who borrowed money from banks to invest in the capital market, lost several billions of naira when the stock market crashed due to global financial crisis.
The Interim Administrator of the NSE, Mr Emmanuel Ikazoboh, had also attributed the lull in the market to what he called, “huge margin loan overhang”.
According to Ikazoboh, huge margin loan overhang has forced banks to withhold funding of equities to recoup the previous loans they invested in the capital market.