Business
Twitter prices above range to raise at least $1.8 billion
NEW YORK – Twitter Inc priced its initial public offering above its expected range to raise at least $1.8 billion, in a sign of strong investor demand for the most highly anticipated U.S. public float since Facebook Inc.
The microblogging network priced 70 million shares at $26, above the targeted range of $23 to $25, which had been raised once before.
The IPO values Twitter at $14.1 billion, with the potential to reach $14.4 billion if underwriters exercise an over-allotment option, as they are widely expected to.
If the full overallotment is exercised, Twitter could raise $2.1 billion, making it the second largest Internet offering in the U.S. behind Facebook’s $16 billion IPO last year and ahead of Google Inc’s 2004 IPO, according to Thomson Reuters data.
The focus now turns to how Twitter stock will fare on Thursday. Some analysts said they expect shares to experience a small pop during the first day. Twelve-month price targets on the stock range from $29 to $54.
Brian Wieser, an analyst at Pivotal Research Group who valued Twitter this week at $29 a share, said the stock appears to have strong institutional investor support and could easily close over $30 a share on its first day.
But he warned that trading could be volatile, given that Wall Street has struggled to value an unorthodox social media company with a newfangled business model.
“There’s still so much uncertainty and it’s so difficult to even identify how big the opportunity is,” Wieser said. “Twitter will make Netflix look like General Electric as a bellwether of stability.”
Investor enthusiasm for Twitter, which boasts 230 million users including heads of state and celebrities, is strong even though the microblogging network has never turned a profit.
Moshe Cohen, a professor at Columbia Business School in New York, said pressure on the company could quickly mount if shares lose steam out of the gate.
“Twitter, as a company with no expectations of making profits for several years, needs its investors to have faith,” Cohen said. “If that stock starts to show some negative momentum from the beginning, it could last for a while.”
Twitter, however, is listing amid the strongest market for U.S. IPOs since 2007, as equity markets soared and uncertainty around the U.S. debt ceiling has largely subsided for now.
A number of IPOs have doubled on their first day of trading, including Container Store Group, restaurant chain Potbelly Corp and software company Benefitfocus Inc.
Twitter hiked its target IPO price on Monday from an initial range of $17 to $20. All of the proceeds from the IPO will go directly to the company, with no insider selling taking place.
Goldman Sachs Group Inc, which led the Twitter IPO, tops the list of U.S. technology bookrunners this year with an 18.3 percent market share, up from 11 percent a year ago when it ranked fifth, according to Thomson Reuters data.
Morgan Stanley and JPMorgan Chase & Co also led the IPO.
AVOIDING FACEBOOK’S MISTAKES
Twitter has been focused on avoiding many of the pitfalls that plagued Facebook during its $16 billion IPO last May. The company priced shares more conservatively than Facebook did and chose to list on the New York Stock Exchange rather than the Nasdaq.
Facebook had increased both the number of shares and the price range just before its public debut, which contributed to a sustained decline in its share price. The shares took more than a year to recover to the $38 IPO price.
“Twitter did a good job putting together its message,” said Tom Taulli, an independent IPO expert. “It wasn’t about distractions, it was about having a great property and brand and a focus on the business…that wasn’t necessarily the message when Facebook came out.”
The high level of interest stoked by Twitter’s road show spurred speculation in recent days that its bankers could raise the price again significantly higher than $25, but they ultimately did not.
“I’m glad they didn’t take it up higher, as speculated,” said Suntrust Robinson Humphries analyst Robert Peck. “It still provides enough upside for investors and provides a nice contrast to Facebook.”
CHALLENGES REMAIN
Despite Twitter’s successful IPO, some analysts have expressed concerns that Twitter’s valuation is dependent on sustained user growth and a maturing advertising business – two factors that may never be realized.
Although the company has close to a quarter-billion-users, it lacks the ubiquity of Facebook or the “stickiness” factor that keeps people checking the No. 1 social network on a daily basis. A Reuters-Ipsos poll last month showed that 36 percent of people who signed up for a Twitter account say they do not use it.
Twitter, which has extensively courted large brand marketers, still generates relatively little revenue per user compared with Facebook, while the majority of its users are located outside the U.S. in countries such as Indonesia or Brazil, which are less lucrative digital advertising markets.
During its road show over the past week, Twitter executives had assured investors that they plan to wring more money out of its international user base and smaller businesses by expanding its self-serve advertising products and opening offices abroad.
But analysts say the company could encounter a slew of regulatory and policy hurdles in foreign countries as it expands.
Twitter said last month that its third-quarter revenue more than doubled to $168.6 million, but net losses widened to $64.6 million from $21.6 million a year earlier as costs ballooned.
Aside from aggressively growing its overseas sales presence, Twitter’s expenditures will likely continue to rise.
Twitter disclosed Monday that it had received a letter from International Business Machines Corp accusing the social media company of infringing on at least three U.S. patents. Twitter’s well-known intellectual property vulnerabilities could force the company to invest heavily in expanding its patent portfolio, similar to what Facebook has done since going public.
Twitter is set to trade on the New York Stock Exchange on Thursday under the ticker TWTR.
– REUTERS
The Aliko Dangote Foundation (ADF) has unveiled the Women’s Share Subscription Grant Initiative (WSSGI), a pioneering financial inclusion programme aimed at increasing women’s participation in Nigeria’s capital market through the ongoing Initial Public Offering (IPO) of Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals FZE (DPRP).
The nationwide initiative is designed to support up to two million Nigerian women, with a special focus on low- and middle-income earners, as well as vulnerable women. Through the programme, ADF seeks to expand access to equity ownership, promote a culture of savings and long-term investing, and empower women with greater opportunities for wealth creation through responsible participation in the capital market.
The initiative is open to several categories of beneficiaries, including independent applicants earning ₦100,000 or less per month, verified participants in designated ADF programmes such as CRoWN, ADFIN, and Mu Shuka Iri, eligible non-commissioned servicewomen and service spouses, as well as verified service widows.
To accommodate different categories of participants, the initiative provides two pathways for entry: Matching Grant Track: Eligible independent applicants who subscribe to a minimum of 10 shares will receive an ADF-funded application for an additional 10 shares in their name.
Unconditional Grant Track
The ADF will fund an application for 20 shares on behalf of eligible beneficiaries who satisfy programme eligibility, investor identification, and Know Your Customer (KYC) requirements.
This category covers verified beneficiaries from designated ADF programmes and verified service widows.
Under both tracks, grant funds will be applied directly through the designated issuing house. No cash payments will be made to beneficiaries, government agencies, or sponsors. Any shares successfully allotted will be credited solely to the beneficiary and held in her name.
Eligibility Requirements
Applicants must be Nigerian women aged 18 years and above; resident in Nigeria; meet the eligibility requirements of their respective participation category; successfully complete all required identity verification and KYC processes; and receive no more than one ADF share grant across all Foundation share grant schemes.
The ADF is implementing the initiative in partnership with Vetiva Capital Management and the Nigerian Exchange Group (NGX) through the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)-approved IPO subscription infrastructure.
The Foundation will not receive, collect, or hold applicants’ or sponsors’ subscription funds. All applications, payments, allotments, and refunds will be handled in accordance with the IPO Prospectus, applicable regulatory requirements, and the approved basis of allotment.
Participation in the programme is entirely voluntary. Prospective investors should note that share prices may fluctuate, dividends are only payable when declared, and neither allotment nor investment returns are guaranteed.
To facilitate broad participation, applicants are not required to have an existing Central Securities Clearing System (CSCS) account. Where necessary, accounts will be created through Vetiva upon successful completion of the IPO’s KYC requirements.
Eligible independent applicants may submit their applications exclusively through the official ADF portal at ipo.alikodangotefoundation.org.
READ ALSO: 40 Oil Blocks up for Grabs as NUPRC Opens 2026 Bid Round
Beneficiaries affiliated with the ADF programmes and verified service widows will receive application guidance through approved Foundation channels.
The offer closes on 13 October 2026.
The ADF urges prospective participants to remain vigilant against fraud. Applicants should not make payments to agents, individuals, or personal bank accounts in exchange for grants or promises of guaranteed allotment. Passwords, PINs, and one-time passwords (OTPs) should never be shared, and any unexpected payment request or online link should be verified through official channels before action is taken.
Through this initiative, the ADF is reinforcing its commitment to inclusive economic empowerment, broadening access to investment opportunities, and enabling more Nigerian women to participate meaningfully in the nation’s wealth creation journey.
The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) has unveiled a pipeline of major offshore projects with the potential to attract significant new investment into Nigeria’s upstream petroleum sector.
This is as the commission has intensified efforts to convert the country’s substantial hydrocarbon resources into producing assets and sustainable economic value, the NUPRC said in a statement.
According to the statement, Nigeria’s upstream investment outlook was presented at the Nigeria Investment Forum 2026 in New York by the Commission Chief Executive (CCE), Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan.
Eyesan, who was represented by the Executive Commissioner, Corporate Services and Administration, Dr. Kelechi Ofoegbu, highlighted the emerging investment opportunities across Nigeria’s offshore, gas and brownfield assets, noting that the combination of regulatory reforms, improved project economics and a growing pipeline of development-ready assets is creating new opportunities for investors and industry partners.
READ ALSO: NCDMB, Zeconia Global Train 50 on Digital Oilfield Operations
A key feature of the presentation, it said, was the identification of 22 major offshore projects, comprising 12 deepwater and 10 shallow-water developments, as part of the pipeline capable of driving substantial new capital into the sector.
According to the commission, the projects include major developments such as Bonga Southwest, Aparo, Zaba Zaba, Owowo, Bosi and Egina South.
The NUPRC also highlighted recent capital commitments across projects including Bonga North, Obeta Gas Development, HIN Associated Gas Development and Iseni Gas Development, demonstrating the movement of investment interest towards actual project development.
The average prices of petrol and diesel have risen by 86 percent in 2026, with the two products reaching their highest average price levels for the year by September 22, according to the latest fuel price trend report by priceandpromo.
The report stated that the average price of Premium Motor Spirit, popularly known as petrol, rose to N1,378 per litre by September 22, while automotive gas oil, commonly known as diesel, increased to N1,899/litre.
It puts the increase in the price of petrol at 80.8 percent from the January 13 base, while diesel recorded a 91.8 percent rise over the same period. The average increase of the two products is 86.3 percent, which rounds to 86 percent.
The report stated, “The latest priceandpromo fuel price trend shows renewed upward movement following the relative stability observed between April and July.
“Petrol rose to an average of N1,378 per litre by 22 September, while diesel increased to an average N1,899 per litre, the highest average price levels recorded for both products in the displayed 2026 series.”
READ ALSO: NNPC Ltd Celebrates Second Year of Zero Voluntary Resignations
According to the report, petrol prices had increased sharply in March before remaining relatively stable at elevated levels between April and July. “After the sharp March increase, fuel prices stabilised at higher levels through July before rising again in August and September,” it added.
The renewed increase came amid heightened volatility in the international energy market, according to the report, which noted that the domestic market remained exposed to movements in global energy costs.
“The renewed increase comes amid heightened global energy-market volatility, highlighting the domestic market’s continued exposure to shifts in international energy costs,” the report added.
The report indicated that the latest movement in fuel prices could have wider implications for transportation, logistics and the cost of distributing goods, given the importance of petrol and diesel to economic activities.
The report noted that fuel prices remained an important channel through which changes in energy costs could feed into transportation and other consumer costs.
The report further warned that the renewed increase in both products is a development to monitor because of its potential implications for the movement of people and goods.
It said, “The renewed increase in both petrol and diesel is therefore an important market signal to watch, particularly for its potential implications for mobility, logistics costs and the wider cost of moving goods through the market.”
The report’s figures show that the increase in diesel prices has outpaced that of petrol, with AGO rising by 91.8 percent compared with PMS’s 80.8 percent increase.
Courtesy – The PUNCH
IPO: ADF Opens Wealth Creation Pathway for 2m Vulnerable Nigerian Women
2027: Tinubu Will Beat Atiku, Obi by Wide Margin, Says Bwala
‘Dem Dey Use Stick Dey Flog Women’ — Nigerians in India Camp Cry Out
2027: I’ll Bring Petrol Price Down to ₦300, Says Donald Duke
2027: INEC Must Prove Nigerians Wrong on Election Credibility — Donald Duke
‘Military Gets Huge Budgets, Yet Air Crashes Persist’ — Shehu Muhammad
Trump’s Family Unveils New Cryptocurrency Platform
Senate Denies Receiving Petitions Against Tinubu’s Ambassadorial Nominees
Dangote Cement Lights Up Benue Host Communities With CSR Initiatives
Reps Recommend 3-year Jail Term For Aviation minister
Tems Sets New Record On Billboard Hot 100 Chart
