ACANDAV INTERNATIONAL COMPANY

By Idialu Odegua Judith, judyodegua@yahoo.com The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), on Tuesday concluded its Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meeting in Abuja and for the 12th consecutive time in two years, all the benchmark Monetary Policy Rate was retained. While there are noticeable improvements in economic indices, the continued maintenance of the status quo in rates leaves much to be desired than achieved in the period. Specifically, MPR was left at 14%; Cash Reserves Ratio (CRR), 22.5%; Liquidity Ratio, 30%, while the Asymmetric Corridor around the MPR stands at +200/-500 basis points. The major challenge within the period were how to counter risks of inflation, attract foreign investments and maintain exchange rate stability. Bond Meanwhile, trades at the nation’s Bond market closed on a flat note as investors awaited results of the day’s Bond auction, as it was expected to influence movement in yields in the OTC market. However, the Results from the bond auction show...

This is the phase that follows the accumulation phase. One of the ways to know this phase is becoming evident is to see a stock or sector that has "broken out " of its neutral range. Right from here an obvious increase in volume should be seen. At this point, most institutional investors and individual investors who are aware of this early trend jump on board bringing along a significant buying power. Another way of knowing this trend is here, is to start seeing stock setting a higher lows and a higher highs, gaining volume and frequently testing key levels of resistance as it essentially marking the end of the battle between the bulls and the bears, with the bulls prevailing. At this point, the previously dull stock becomes attractive to all investors looking to profit from the upward momentum. Towards the end of the mark-up phase, a full market participation will be seen whereby everyone will likely to have made an investment. This paves the way for the next wave. Inve...

These days, it is no longer enough to argue that enterprise companies are too big to bother with social media. Remember this Sales 101 basic: be where your market is. Right now, they are online. The numbers are daunting. Of the 7.3 billion global population as of July 2015, more than 3 billion use the internet. Of these, more than two thirds are on social media. Facebook has more than 1.7 billion users; LinkedIn has 450 million. Plus, more than 90 percent of brands are on at least two social media platforms. It’s not just the wide use of social media that drives companies to explore social selling possibilities. According to a May 2017 Forrester Consulting survey (done for Hootsuite), there is a general discontent with how typical salespeople conduct selling. A majority of the respondents believe that salespeople come to the table with an agenda, regardless of its fit as the solution to the customer’s problems. The internet – and to a good degree, social media – empowers buye...

We are living in exciting and innovative times with futuristic technology literally at our fingertips. But for the longest time, small to medium sized businesses were not serviced by the latest tech trends enterprises have been able to benefit from. That is, until now. In this article, we’ll explore these technology trends and how they will impact business in 2018 and beyond. So, what kind of things can this ‘smart’ tech do? Just 4 months ago, an AI machine managed to complete a University level math exam 12 times faster than it normally takes the average human.  How? Through the art of machine learning; where computers learn and adapt through experience without explicitly being programmed. Furthermore, Facebook made headlines earlier this year when their chatbots created their own language. Some Fake News stories say that the engineer’s pulled the plug in a panic after they were getting too smart. However, the truth is that for Facebook’s purposes the chatbots needed to sti...

Investdata Consulting Ltd will hold another edition of its mid-year comprehensive stock trading and investing seminar on Saturday, July 28, 2018 in at the Ostra Hall & Hotels, opposite the NNPC Gas Plant, Alausa, Ikeja, Lagos. At the seminar with the theme: Comprehensive Stock Trading & Investing Toolkit for Rest of 2018, our team of experts: Baba Ibrahim, CEO, Mainstreet Securities Ltd; Abdul-Rasheed Oshoma Momoh, Head, Capital Market/Trading, TRW Stockbrokers Ltd; Tunde Jeaniogbe CEO, Tradeline Dotbiz and Ambrose Omordion CRO Investdata Consulting Ltd, will review dynamics of the Nigerian economy, the stock market’s performance so far and the factors influencing the behavioral pattern. Participants will also learn strategies that will help minimized losses, protect capital and trade profitably, considering the low valuation that is system-induced and will fade away with time. The event will also review the geopolitical environment, which is far more important for an...

Whether financial technology (fintech) is a threat to the banking sector or not, one obvious fact is that Nigerian Internet startups that deliver financial services are getting more attention as well as funding opportunities from both local and foreign investors. It’s probably the year of fintech in Nigeria. SureRemit — a Nigerian cash remittance startup — earlier in the year raised $7 million in an initial coin offering (ICO). Worthy of note is that CowryWise — one of the fintech startups featured in the Nigerian Startup Funding Report for Q2, 2018 — was recently accepted into Y Combinator for the Summer 2018 Batch. Of the 42 startups that got one form of funding or the other in Q2 2018, 12 are providing financial services. And of the top funding in terms of value, financial services had two entries while logistics, media and services got one entry each. Also, 75% of the funding in value for the quarter went to financial service providers, an indication that investors ar...

Market activities on stock market oscillate in four or five distinct phases namely the accumulation phase, the mark-up phase, the greed/late majority phase, the distribution phase and the mark-down/declining phase. Today, we shall be discussing the accumulation phase which is the first among all. Accumulation phase is a phase when the experienced traders and investors begin to buy having seen the market has bottomed or the worst is over. Meanwhile, the general market sentiment is still bearish and those who were long in their position feel disgusted or impatient holding the stocks by selling them. Prices flatten in this phase and for every seller throwing in the towel, someone is there to pick it up at a discount.  Accumulation phase often falls into the end of a downtrend where ordinary investors believe that more bearishness is likely and their overall outlook is pessimistic. Eventually market sentiment begins to switch from negative to neutral thereby locki...

Just how dominant a business tool was social media in 2017? Despite being involved in an investigation by Congress, Facebook reported its highest earnings ever in Q3, up nearly 50% from a year ago. Its mobile ads are so popular that the platform is actually starting to run out of space for them, even though they’re charging more than ever. Meanwhile, the network eclipsed the 2-billion-user mark, now counting nearly one-third of the planet among its user base.    Behind these numbers is a growing realization among businesses that social media is the single most effective way to reach audiences, with teens (i.e. tomorrow’s consumers) now spending up to nine hours a day on social platforms. An insatiable appetite for video among users, paired with better technology for making, posting and targeting social updates, sees companies now spending more money on social and digital ads than on TV advertising.      These trends show little sign of slowing up in 2018...

GOOGLE FOR NIGERIA Calling on all Creators, Innovators & Business Owners! Register for the 2018 #GoogleForNigeria Event To them, this means a great experience no matter the device, removing frictions to access and uplifting and changing lives through the power of technology. Google for Nigeria brings together their users, partners, stakeholders, and friends and is an opportunity for them to highlight their commitment to the next billion users and the first look at new products and investments for the region The event is set to take place from July 26, 2018, 12:00 – July 27, 2018, 18:00 at the Landmark Event Center, Lagos. To register.. click on the web link below. https://events.withgoogle.com/google-for-nigeria-2018/

The International Monetary Fund (IMF), says Nigeria’s economy could grow by a robust 2.1% this year, up from 0.8% in 2017, before notching higher by 2019 when it is projected to rise by 2.3%, on the back of recovery in oil prices and stable oil output arising from sustained peace in the nation’s once volatile Niger Delta region. The 2018 forecast is an improvement from the 1.9% growth estimated in April, amidst its recovery from its worst recession in over two decades. “The upgraded forecast reflects improved prospects for Nigeria’s economy. Its growth is set to increase from 0.8% in 2017 to 2.1% in 2018,” the IMF said. This growth by Nigeria, just as that of South Africa could see Africa’s economy expanding by as much as 3.8% by 2019, according to the IMF’s World Economic Outlook update released Monday, up from 3.7%. “The recovery in sub-Saharan Africa is set to continue, supported by the rise in commodity prices. For the region, growth is expected to increase from 2.8% in ...

Defensive investing means investing in strategy that will minimize loss of capital in a portfolio. The primary objective of defensive investment strategy is the preservation of capital. A defensive investment strategy involves regular portfolio rebalancing to maintain the desired asset allocation. There are a number of defensive strategies an investor or portfolio manager can employ to mitigate against losses such as investing in infrastructure funds like that of FG sukkuk bonds, treasury bills, blue chip stocks and stable values such as gold, platinum and silver. Investor will be protected against significant losses from major market downturns by buying defensive stocks, engaging in short term treasury bills, trading across countries, placing stop loss order and holding cash especially in down market and finally spreading the entire portfolio across a number of industries to reduce risk through diversification. Investdata Academy

Rates in Nigeria’s interbank money markets dropped further on Tuesday, amidst increased Liquidity, with the overnight and Open Buy-Back rates closing at 7.50% and 8.58%. Payment of coupon inflows is expected to hit the system to the tune of N34.71bn, even as Interbank rate closing flat at N305.80/$ Bonds Market It experienced weak demand on most tradable FGN bond. Some traders sold down on the long end of the curve . However, participants were very uncertain about the direction of yields . Treasury Bills Market witnessed huge demand, riding on the back of improved system liquidity, with investors taking strategic position as they reinvested bond coupon payments. Rates dipped by 25 basis point on the average across trading benchmark securities, just as demand was witnessed in the short to medium end of the curve. The trend is expected to continue owing to excess Liquidity in the system.we also expect CBN to offer Primary market auction tomorrow. The last stop rate for 91,...

Details The Entrepreneur Mindset is a mentoring session with the Chairman of First Bank of Nigeria Ltd., Mrs. Ibukun Awosika aimed at preparing students, especially those in their final or penultimate year who are looking forward to life after school as entrepreneurs or who have already started some form of business and would like to learn the requisite skills for growing their business in a sustainable manner. This conference would help demystify entrepreneurship and provide participants with a clear path to what it takes to be a successful entrepreneur.

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) says the nation is not on track to meet the financial inclusion targets, barely two years to the 2020 deadline as contained in the National Financial Inclusion Strategy (NFIS) of 2012. In an executive summary of the exposure draft tagged NFIS Refresh, released last week, the CBN noted that two financial inclusion targets were set for the year 2020. They are: “an overall financial inclusion rate of 80% of the adult population and a formal financial inclusion rate of 70% of the adult population.” Recall that in 2010, Nigeria began working towards reducing the percentage of its adult population without access to the formal financial system from 46.3% to 20% by the year 2020, following which the NFIS was launched on October 23, 2012. By 2016, the percentage only fell marginally to 41.6%, following which there were attempts at reviewing the strategy, focusing on evaluating progress, identifying gaps and developing a refreshed strategy document ...

Recently, I saw my Nokia phone that was bought 10 years ago. Amazing isn't it? However, it looks very weird to me especially the shape, Tiny buttons and the sound of the ringtone. As at that time, it was a best seller but now nobody will really be ready to put down their money to buy an obsolete technology because it is completely useless to the current time. Similarly, it is applicable to human being. Knowledge is the key to understanding. So, for you to get the best result, you need to always update yourself. Take Microsoft that update its software database every week, Facebook once or twice a month and the different apps on your phone. On the contrary, I could still remember How Nokia became irrelevant. That is, from world 1 phone producer to none; Motorola had the same issue, after they released the blade which generated $13 billion Annually is no where to be found today because they don't know what next. So, like Motorola, I want to Ask you what next about th...

Caption: From left to right, Executive Director, J.P Morgan, Mr Nick Long, Acting Director General, Securities and Exchange Commission, Ms. Mary Uduk, Chief Executive, Stanbic IBTC, Akeem Oyewale and Acting Executive Commissioner, Operations at the commission, Isyaku Tilde during a meeting between SEC and JP Morgan in Abuja at the weekend. Executive Director of international capital market giants- JP Morgan, Nick Long, at the weekend expressed satisfaction with the performance of Nigeria’s capital market so far. Speaking when representatives of the company and Stanbic IBTC visited the Securities & Exchange Commission in Abuja, Nick Long, Representative of JP Morgan said, is one reason Nigeria remains attractive to international investors. Receiving the visitors at her office, acting Director General of SEC, Ms. Mary Uduk, assured foreign investors of the safety of their investments in the Nigerian capital Market. All necessary controls, she assured, are in place to ensur...

You often hear more of Stock Trading and Technical Analysis than HOLDS or Long-term Investment. Basically capital markets are meant for long-term financing of projects by corporate organizations, Governments and Structured Associations/Organizations. It thrives on profit-sharing by way of dividend payouts and interest yields in the case of Bonds and Preference Shares. However, in the process, like every economic activity you have the 'hawks'. The impatient ones who looks for the greener pastures and flee to safety with their profits at the turn of events. Ironically it's these same people that makes the markets very interesting. They bring liquidity to bear on the market and makes the investment business very interesting. However, the real returns still lies in Long-term Investment that involves less efforts and gives peace of mind. However, you need to be properly guided to make the right selections. Successful long-term trading — investing with the intention of ho...