New Telegraph

Oil and gas stocks record N56bn gain in Q3’21

Oil and gas firms listed on the main and premium boards of the nation’s equities market reported gain of about N54.677 billion during the third quarter of year 2021. Checks by New Telegraph revealed that the oil and gas sub-sector gained the N54.677 billion or 9.99 per cent to close at N601.653 billion in market capitalisation on September 30, in contrast to opening figure of N546.653 billion at the beginning of trading on July1.

Market watchers believe that investors are taking position on oil and gas stocks following ease of lockdown, which has increased spending on transportation. The consequences of the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak had threatened the resilient outlook of Nigeria’s economy mainly supported by the oil and gas sector. Speaking on the outlook for the rest of the sector, David Adonri, Managing Director/ CEO, Highcap Securities Limited, had said: “If the results and dividends announced by major companies are impressive, and if the rally in crude oil price is sustained, and if yield on debt does not go higher, demand for equities may increase and stem the tide of decline.”

Ayodeji Ebo, Senior Economist/ Head, Research & Strategy, Greenwich Merchant Bank, said: “Rising fixed income yields will continue to suppress the performance of the equities market, however, influx of impressive financial performance and corporate actions will reduce the impact. “Investors will cherry pick stocks with good fundamentals. However, as full year corporate actions releases wind down, we expect the equities market to dip presenting new entry opportunities.” Toyin Sanni, CEO, Emerging Africa Capital Group, said: “There is likely going to be a rebound in the market as investors buy back at discounts and also position themselves to meet the closure of register deadlines for dividend payment which have been announced. “Listed companies are positioned to record positive performances in the first quarter of the year 2021 as the COVID- 19 recovery kicks in and economic activities return to normal. This could contribute to a significant uptrend in the market as a response.

“However, if the yields in the money market and fixed income space continue to increase at their current pace, it could lead to outflow of funds from the stock market in the longer run, leading to a bearish performance. “The recent improvement in the rate environment in the USA could also lead to foreign capital flowing out of the Nigerian markets to a more stable environment.” On demand, analysts at Cordros Capital said: “We expect the resumption of full economic activities to continue supporting product demand.

Specifically, we envisage improved demand from the manufacturing and transport sectors. “For supply, we expect individual product sourcing to remain challenging for downstream players as structural issues such as FX illiquidity persist. Thus, we expect the NNPC to remain the sole market supplier until at least 2022, when the Dangote Refinery comes on stream.”

Read Previous

Maritime security: Coast Guard Bill suffers delay at National Assembly

Read Next

Culture, fashion, music as Heineken DFA Showcase 2021 holds in Lagos

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *