Author: Julius Alagbe

Nigerian stocks tumbled for the third consecutive trading session in the equities market as a positive real return on fixed interest securities impacted investors’ sentiment. Hence, the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) benchmark all-share index fell as more investors continued to exit their positions in the domestic bourse.  

Equities Analysts Downgrade BUA Cement to Sell after 2024 Earnings Equities analysts at CSL Stockbrokers Limited have downgraded BUA Cement Plc to sell following the company’s single digit earnings performance for 2024. BUA Cement reported a 90.5% year on year revenue growth amidst challenging business environment and increase rivalry among the cement oligarchy. Possibly supported by volume, and price hikes, the company’s revenue reached N876.47 billion in 2024 from N460.00 billion in 2023. “While no information has been provided on the revenue breakdown, we attribute the company’s top-line growth to increases in both price and volume”, CSL Stockbrokers said in…

Naira Rallies, FX Inflow Falls by 50% as CBN Halts Support The naira appreciated against the US dollar by 0.50% in the official window, closing at ₦1,491.67 per dollar on Tuesday amidst a slowdown in intervention. The local currency appreciated as the Nigerian Foreign Exchange Market (NFEM) maintained stability; the exchange rate fluctuated between $/₦1,490.00 and $/₦1,503.00 in the official market. The exchange rate steadied in the forex market despite the absence of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to boost liquidity in the currency market. The sustained rally suggests demand pressure has eased as data showed the FX inflow…

Market Talks: What to Do to Overvalued Investment Assets Sell it. Exit position in anything that is overvalued—even a relationship. Savvy investors don’t buy overvalued stocks; it will break your investment, and you will come back to hate anything selling in the stock market. But that’s due to your fault, not the market. So, when you abscond from the stock market because you lost some money in the past, you are actually locking opportunity doors against yourself, and you wouldn’t even know. Anytime you pay more for less, you create inflation. When you buy overvalued stock, you throw money out…

UK Manufacturing PMI Falls to 14-Month Low, Job Losses Worsen –S&P The UK manufacturing sector continued to face tough operating conditions in February, as ongoing concerns about weak demand and rising cost pressures led to deeper downturns in output, new orders and employment. The seasonally adjusted S&P Global UK Manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index™ (PMI®) fell to a 14-month low of 46.9 in February, down from 48.3 in January but above the earlier flash estimate of 46.4. The PMI has remained at a sub-50.0 level, signaling contraction, for five months in a row. Output contracted for the fourth month running in…

CBN Raises N1.44 trillion from Treasury Bills Auction in Feb The Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, raised a total sum of N1.44 trillion from investors that participated in its Treasury bills offers in February 2025. The Apex Bank pulled out the huge sum as part of an effort to manage liquidity levels in the economy and provide short-term funds for the government. Despite a huge amount of bids rejected at its primary market auctions last month, a total sum of ₦1.44 trillion was sterilised. The latest Treasury bill sales by the authority was above January raise by 13.62%. The CBN…

FCMB Drops Hint on Earnings Release, Dividend FCMB Group Plc has hinted investors and market regulators about its 2024 earnings, which is expected to be released after the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) approval. In a regulatory filing, the financial services group told the Nigerian Exchange, NGX, that the group’s audited financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2024, has been approved at the board meeting on Friday. FCMB also stated that its board of directors approved payment of dividends, subject to the approval of the CBN. It said details of the results and the dividend payments, as well…

Moniepoint, AfriGO to Distribute 5m Cards to Customers In a significant move to further enhance the availability of digital payment services to Nigerians, Moniepoint Inc has announced a strategic partnership with Afrigopay Financial Services Limited (AFSL), a subsidiary of the Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System (NIBSS), to further enhance the government’s digital payment agenda, by driving tap-to-pay solutions as well as accelerating the adoption of AfriGO Card, Nigeria’s National Domestic Card Scheme nationwide. This collaboration will also leverage Moniepoint’s extensive reach and robust infrastructure to avail an innovative solution which allows users to make payments by tapping or hovering their contactless…

Oil Prices Rise as U.S Revokes Venezuela Agreement Oil prices rose as US President Donald Trump revoked an exemption on oil sales to Venezuela, with data showing a decline in US crude inventories and ongoing concerns about American tariff policies. Prices continued to trend lower yesterday amid uncertainty over the outlook for tariffs, a dynamic overshadowing sanction risks. After imposing additional sanctions on Iran’s oil industry, the Trump administration is now eyeing Venezuela, ending Chevron’s licence to operate in the South American nation. Previously, Chevron was allowed to operate there and, despite sanctions, export crude to the US. This development…

Transcorp Hotels Grows Profit by 138% to N14.9 billion Transcorp Hotels Plc grew profit by more than 138% to about N14.9 billion in 2024, details from the company’s audited financial statement revealed. Due to its strong earnings growth in the period, its board of directors has declared intention to pay shareholders 64 kobo as final dividend for the year, according to its official statement.  According to its financial scorecard, the hospitality company’s profit after tax surged by 138% year on year to N14.895 billion in 2024, from N6.253 billion in the comparable year in 2023. The strong bottom line performance…