Business
U.S. Stocks Open Lower
NEW YORK – U.S. stocks edged lower as investors digested recent records and weakness overseas ahead of comments from a Federal Reserve official and President Barack Obama.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 10 points, or 0.1%, to 15966 in early trade. On Monday, the Dow rose above 16000 for the first time intraday, reaching a high of 16030.38 early in the session, before paring gains to close up 14 points, or 0.1%. The blue-chip index still closed at its fourth-straight record high, and 39th record of the year.
The S&P 500 index declined five points, or 0.3%, to 1787, and the Nasdaq Composite Index fell 13 points, or 0.3%, to 3936. The S&P 500 traded above 1800 intraday on Monday before reversing to close down 0.4%.
“Looks like we have another digestive tone in the market today,” said Bryan Piskorowski, head of markets and product strategy at Wells Fargo Advisors, which has $1.3 trillion in assets under management. “The markets have had a good run, so to see [a pullback] here shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise.”
“Our position in this time frame is built around position-squaring and rebalancing,” Mr. Piskorowski said. The strength of the U.S. market this year has helped increase investors’ weightings toward U.S. stocks, so he has been recommending clients rebalance their portfolios to get back to benchmark weightings.“We’re bullish, but we’re willing to concede that a [26%] run on the S&P 500 this year is a pretty good year,” he said.
Recent lackluster economic data and dovish comments from Fed chair nominee Janet Yellen last week have fueled the belief that the Fed will keep its highly accommodative monetary policy, including its $85-billion-a-month bond-purchasing program, intact for the foreseeable future. That in turn has helped underpin the market’s rise to record highs.
But on Tuesday, a report from the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development tempered investor enthusiasm after it said the uncertain future of U.S. fiscal and central-bank policies poses a growing risk to a global economic recovery that has already been weakened by a slowdown in growth in many developing economies.
Separately, the OECD cut its 2014 growth forecasts for the U.K. and the euro zone and said that deflation risks for the euro area have risen.
Tuesday afternoon, investors will weigh comments from Chicago Fed President Charles Evans, a voting member of the central bank’s policy committee, scheduled for 1 p.m. EST. Later, Mr. Obama is scheduled to speak at 3 p.m. at the Wall Street Journal CEO Council’s annual meeting in Washington.Investors are also looking forward to data later in the week on retail sales, retail inflation and existing-home sales and the release of the minutes to Fed’s October policy meeting on Wednesday, to gauge the strength of the U.S. economy. Further, a Senate banking committee panel is slated to vote on the nomination of Ms. Yellen to head the Federal Reserve on Thursday.
The yield on the 10-year Treasury yield inched up to 2.689% from 2.678% late Monday.
Dow component Home Depot rose after the home-improvement retailer reported fiscal third-quarter earnings and revenue that exceeded analyst estimates, boosted by improving same-store sales and transaction volume, and raised its full-year outlook.
J.P. Morgan Chase gained after The Wall Street Journal reported the banking giant agreed to a $13 billion settlement with the U.S. Justice Department, ending several investigations and lawsuits aimed at soured mortgage bonds issued before the financial crisis.
Best Buy slid after fiscal third-quarter earnings and revenue topped estimates, but the consumer electronics retailer cautioned that it would be facing an increasingly promotional environment during the holiday season. Leading up to the results, the stock had nearly quadrupled year to date.In Europe, the Stoxx Europe 600 fell 0.6%, pulling back from a 5½-year high reached in the previous session. Germany’s DAX 30 index lost 0.2%, France’s CAC 40 dropped 1% and the U.K.’s FTSE 100 shed 0.5%.
“We’ve had a good run and it’s no surprise there’s a bit of profit-taking,” said Julian Chillingworth, chief investment officer at Rathbones, which manages £20 billion ($32.11 billion) in assets. “We’ve had Janet Yellen’s dovish statement and China’s economic reforms so, in the short term, we’ve run out of positive news.”
The German ZEW sentiment survey showed that the economic expectations indicator rose to a four-year high of 54.6 in November from 52.8 in October, but missed expectations of 55.0. Meanwhile, the current conditions indicator slipped to 28.7 from October’s 29.7, compared with expectations of a rise to 30.4.
The dollar gained some ground against the euro, but edged slightly lower against the yen.
December crude-oil futures declined 0.2% to $92.86 a barrel. Gold futures tacked on 0.2% to $1,275 an ounce.
Asian markets were mostly lower. China’s Shanghai Composite slipped 0.2% after running up 5.2% over the past three sessions. Japan’s Nikkei Stock Average eased 0.3%.
– WALL STREET JOURNAL
The Office of the Auditor-General of the Federation has uncovered financial irregularities amounting to ₦514 billion in the 2021 operations of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd).
The revelations were contained in a comprehensive audit report highlighting non-compliance and internal control weaknesses within Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) during the 2021 financial year.
READ MORE: Powerful 6.8-Magnitude Earthquake Hits China, Dozens Killed
Breakdown of Infractions
The audit detailed four major financial discrepancies within NNPCL:
“Irregular Deductions: A total of ₦343.64 billion was deducted from domestic crude oil sales at source without proper documentation.
“Sinking Fund Deposits: ₦83.66 billion, categorized as miscellaneous income, was retained in a sinking fund account.
“Unauthorised Refinery Deductions: ₦82.95 billion was deducted from federation revenue purportedly for refinery rehabilitation.
“Unsubstantiated Payments: ₦3.75 billion was flagged for transactions related to petrol sales that lacked proper verification.
The Auditor-General’s report stated that these financial activities violated the 1999 Constitution and the Financial Regulations Act of 2009, underscoring significant lapses in compliance with statutory guidelines.
According to the report, NNPCL generated ₦484.73 billion from domestic crude oil sales in March and May 2021.
However, ₦343.64 billion was deducted for various purposes, including “Value Shortfall,” “Strategic Stock Holding Cost,” and “Pipeline Maintenance.”
The deductions were made unilaterally by NNPCL without adequate documentation or justification.
Additionally, the report flagged ₦50 billion of the net payable amount for May 2021 as unaccounted for, creating a significant gap in the federation’s revenue.
“Audit observed from the review of NNPC SAP payment record for March and May 2021 payments that the sum of ₦484.73bn was the gross amount generated for the sale of domestic crude for the months of March and May 2021.
“The sum of ₦343.64bn from the gross amount was unilaterally deducted from the gross domestic crude sales as NNPC Value shortfall, Strategic Stock Holding Cost, Crude Oil and Products Pipeline Losses, as well as the pipelines maintenance and management costs.
“The details of each of the cost components deducted were not provided for audit review. Hence, the reasons for the deductions could not be justified by the management.”
On the unremitted ₦50 billion from May 2021, the report noted: “In the month of May, the net payable that could have been remitted ought to have been ₦127.075bn, but only the sum of ₦77.075bn was remitted, leaving an unremitted balance of N50bn to the Federation Account, which has remained unaccounted for.”
The report attributed these anomalies to weaknesses in NNPCL’s internal control systems, warning of the risks they pose to public funds.
It read, “The above anomalies could be attributed to weaknesses in the internal control system at NNPC, now NNPC Ltd. This is a potential loss of Federation revenue, diversion of public funds, or misapplication or misappropriation of funds.”
The success of the maiden edition of the Lagos Shopping Festival (LSF), Africa’s first 72-hour non-stop commerce and entertainment event has been credited to the Governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu.
This is the view of Managing Director/Chief Strategist of Chain Reactions Africa Ltd, Israel Jaiye Opayemi, one of the main organisers of the event.
According to Opayemi, though Chain Reactions Africa conceptualised the event, the festival could be rightly described as the Governor’s baby and owes its success to his leadership. “Firstly, the Lagos Shopping Festival could not have come to fruition if the Governor did not buy into our audacious plan when we first presented the idea to him during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020. Secondly, it was the Governor’s exemplary leadership of the project as its Chief Marketing Officer which attracted the buy-in of key sponsors like Zenith Bank, Tolaram Group, First Bank Plc, and Guinness Nigeria Plc,” Opayemi revealed.
ALSO READ: Tinubu Okays Bulletproof SUVs, Medical Benefits, Others For Retired Army Generals
While the duo of Zenith Bank and First Bank provided their bank on wheel platforms for buyers at the Lagos Shopping Festival, they also supported the Vendors with special Point of Sale Machines with which to process payments from buyers. The banks were also seen marketing their diverse banking products to guests within the shopping arena.
For Tolaram, it was a time to support the citizens and give back to society. Guests at the Lagos Shopping Festival were freely given some of the products of the group such as PowerOil, Indomie and Kellogg’s packaged into goodie bags and given out to prospective buyers at the shopping arena. The Children’s Arena was however activated by Indomie with the children entertained by Santa Claus within a well-equipped arena manned by the Indomie Brands team and the Lagos State Safety Marshalls. The children were daily treated to free Indomie meals daily and given various gifts to go home with.
On its part, Guinness Nigeria came through as the real life of the Nigerian party by organizing product sampling activation for the teeming guests at the festival using brands such as Singleton, Johnnie Walker, Ciroc, Don Royale and Captain Morgan to deliver pleasant experiences to guests aside from Guinness and Malta Guinness.
While unveiling the identity of the festival last month, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu had thanked the management of Zenith Bank Plc, Tolaram Africa Group, Guinness Nigeria Plc and First Bank of Nigeria for supporting the idea of a Lagos Shopping Festival, describing it as a value addition on the state’s tourism calendar and the overall efforts to grow the State’s GDP. The Governor further said, “I must specially acknowledge your pioneering sponsorship role. It is easy for a corporate sponsor to jump on the sponsorship band wagon of an already established festival and fund it. But you are supporting the maiden edition of this Lagos Shopping Festival with us. The competition is watching you now. Do not build this brand with us and yield the space for the competition to take over. I do hope you would all commit long term to this brilliant initiative.”
On his part, Girish Sharma, CEO Guinness Nigeria Plc, expressed enthusiasm for the initiative. “Lagos is the commercial heartbeat of Nigeria and Africa’s entertainment capital, and the Lagos Shopping Festival captures its essence. We see opportunities in this initiative because it is a creative fusion of commerce and entertainment. This partnership reflects our dedication to fostering economic opportunities and support the nation’s vibrant entertainment industry.”
A first-of-its-kind, the festival was a convergence of commerce and entertainment, bringing together buyers and sellers in the MSME ecosystem, and hordes of fun-seekers who were entertained with thrilling performances by A-list entertainers, including Adekunle Gold, Wande Coal, Teni, Young Jonn, BNXN, Ayo Maff, SB Live and EmmaOMG. The list also included some of Nigeria’s most sought after DJs such as DJ Neptune, DJ YK Mule, DJ Baddo while Gbenga Adeyinka the 1st and Larry J dished out rib-cracking comedy performances.
Held from 23rd to 25th Day of December 2024, at the iconic Mobolaji Johnson Arena, Onikan Stadium, Lagos, the Lagos Shopping Festival saw thousands of fans throng the main venue and select Lagos malls during the three-day period to bag the latest bargains from local and top global brands.
The Nigerian Naira experienced mixed movements in the foreign exchange markets on Monday, as it depreciated to N1,665 per dollar in the parallel market, down from N1,660 per dollar recorded over the weekend.
In contrast, the official exchange rate saw the Naira appreciate to N1,534.56 per dollar, improving slightly from N1,535 per dollar last Friday, according to data released by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
RELATED NEWS: Naira Weakens Against Dollar Amid FX Shortages
This reflects a marginal gain of 44 kobo in the official Nigerian Foreign Exchange Market (NFEM).
As a result, the gap between the parallel market rate and the NFEM rate widened to N130.44 per dollar, compared to the N125 per dollar margin recorded over the weekend.
Los Angeles Wildfires: Death Toll Climbs As Firefighters Battle On
At Least 15 Killed In Myanmar Junta Air Raid On Market
President Tinubu Arrives In UAE For Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week
Joint Security Team Rescues Four Kidnapped Victims In Sokoto
EFCC Summons Okoya Brothers Over Viral Video Allegation
![Gospel Singer, Moses Bliss Announces Engagement [Photos]](https://biztellers.com.ng/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/IMG_20240119_143217_400_x_300_pixel-80x80.jpg){kind=tracking}
Moses Bliss, Wife Celebrate Arrival Of First Child
OSSG Raises Alarm Over Murder Plot By APC Chieftain
NCC, SMEDAN, NAICOM, SEC, Others Set for SUPERNEWS SMEs Conf June 13
Sahara’s Tonye Cole resigns from GPHCDA
Niger Delta Avengers: President Buhari Reads riot Act …considers the carrot and stick option
Oando opens ultra-modern petrol station in Lagos
