Oil prices are softer in the global commodity market on Thursday following reports of a ceasefire deal between Lebanon and Israel, which boosted hopes for a broader agreement to end the US-Israeli conflict with Iran that could potentially lead to a reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.

South African Rand (ZAR) stabilises against crosses on Thursday after the local unit struggled to hold value against the US dollar amid strengthening geopolitical tensions.

Wall Street and the FTSE 100 declined as risk aversion dampened sentiment across global equities.  Escalating tensions in the Middle East set the tone for global risk aversion, with overnight US-Iran exchanges weighing on sentiment and driving a broad pullback in equities.

Cement company Lafarge Africa Plc lost about 10% of its market value due to heavy sell-offs on the Nigerian Exchange. The sell pressure aligned well with broader market direction, stockbrokers said, reflecting an ongoing market correction that has lasted for three days.

The Development Bank of Nigeria (DBN) Plc says it has disbursed more than N1 trillion to over one million Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), supporting the creation of more than 1.6 million jobs since inception.

MTN Nigeria Plc lost about 7% of its market value on Wednesday as investors trimmed their holdings in the telecommunication company’s shares.

First Holdco Plc dropped by more than 16.78% in three days due to aggressive selloffs by the company’s shareholders in the stock market. The financial services company’s negative performance aligned with broader sentiment in the Nigerian Exchange.

Ripple (XRP) fell to $1.20 on Wednesday, underperforming a broadly weaker crypto market, driven primarily by a risk-off macro sell-off. The move aligns with Bitcoin’s 2.89% drop, indicating a beta-driven decline amid heightened geopolitical tensions and institutional ETF outflows.

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) hiked treasury bill rates after the authority kept the monetary policy rate at 26.5% last month as inflation accelerated toward 16%.

Analysts at CardinalStone Securities Limited have jerked up their target price for Transnational Corporation to N69.71 per share, citing the TransAfam turnaround as the reason for their buy recommendation.