Business

Foreign Portfolio Investments Drop 49% In 2 Months Of 2023

Published

2 years ago

April 3, 2023

There are indications that foreign investors are not yet comfortable with Nigeria’s external sector position as well as the political environment as Foreign Portfolio Investments, FPIs, declined by a significant 48.7 percent in the first two months of this year when compared to the corresponding period of 2022.

The foreign investors had renewed their divestment measures some months before the general elections, a development which signaled lack of confidence.

Vanguard findings from the latest data released by the Nigerian Exchange Limited, NGX, revealed that the value of FP1s for the two months of the year stood at N44.52 billion as against N86.74 billion in the corresponding period of 2022.

In January 2023, the FPIs declined by 39.7 % to N24.9 billion as against N41.31 billion in the corresponding period of 2022. In February 2023 it dropped by a whopping 56.8 % to N19.62 billion as against N45.43 billion in the corresponding period of 2022.

Economy experts and analysts have attributed the decline on FPIs to foreign exchange volatility, inconsistent government policies, and market regulations among others.

In the absence of the foreign investors, the domestic counterparts have filled the gap and in February 2022 they accounted for 88.41 percent of the total value of transactions recorded in the bourse.

The total value of transactions recorded by the Exchange for the two months period stood at N384.01 billion.

Analysis from the latest figure released by the Exchange showed that foreign investors accounted for only 11.59 percent of the total value of transactions.

A review of the transactions showed that in January 2023 domestic investors outperformed the foreign investors accounting for 87.24 percent or N170.20 billion of the total transaction valued at N195.10 billion.

In the month of February 2023 the domestic investors also outperformed foreign investors accounting for 89.61 percent of the total value of transactions worth N188.91 billion.

Findings revealed that institutional investors dominated the domestic investments in the two months period representing 79.2 percent of the domestic investments worth N339.49 billion.

Experts’ comment

Many financial analysts believe FPIs commitment in Nigeria is on downward trend because of the exchange rate volatility and the political situation in the country.

Commenting, analyst and Executive Vice Chairman, David Adonri, said: “There is a foreign exchange rate risk attendant to foreign portfolio investment. Persistent depreciation of the Naira in recent past is capable of heightening exchange rate risk leading to loss on investments.

“Secondly, foreign portfolio investors’ confidence was eroded by their inability to remit proceeds of their investments.

“Finally, FPIs are sensitive to socio-political events. Few of the investors who have taken the risk arising for the political tension are investing in Fixed Income, FI.

“The political tension in Nigeria even with the conclusion of the general election is still not over and it continued to threaten the safety of their investments, hence their low confidence in the economy.

“If the new administration is able to make the market attractive we would begin to see foreign investors back to the market.”

Tajudeen Olayinka, CEO of Wyoming Capital and Partners, said: “The Foreign Portfolio Investment in equity is declining because of the exchange rate management.

“A situation of multiple exchange rate regime cannot give room for proper allocation of resources in the economy. This is one of the macroeconomic factors that have made it difficult for Nigeria’s economy to adjust to full employment output and external balance over the years.

“This situation may improve in the coming years with an administration that has preference for private sector dominance.”

Also commenting, Prof. Uche Uwaleke, Economy expert and President Association of Capital Market Academic of Nigeria, said: “Until we begin to see changes in the monetary policies such as exchange rate, improved market regulations the FPIs will continue to fall.”

Reacting to the decline in FPI, analyst/ Head of Research and Investment, Fidelity Securities Limited, Victor Chiazor, said: “We have constantly seen reduction in foreign portfolio investments year-on-year, YoY, and it is likely that the situation may change once the new administration get things right in the Nigerian economic management system.”

He added, “Issues around exchange rate, capital importation and corporate governance amongst others continue to discourage foreign inflow.

“Until foreign investors see concrete policies and effort to correct some of these anomalies, domestic investors will continue to carry the market.

“Moreso, over the years we have seen investors confidence reduce which has led to the drop in Foreign Portfolio Investment.

“Issues around unavailability of foreign exchange, corporate governance, weak market regulation and oversight function and inconsistent government policies have weakened foreign participation in the equities market and until all of these issues are addressed the market will continue to be dominated by domestic participants.”
VANGUARD

Related Topics:Business Foreign investment

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Business

JUST IN: Dangote Refinery Hikes Petrol Ex-depot Price

Published

3 hours ago

June 20, 2025

Editor

Nigerians may soon pay more for petrol as the Dangote Petroleum Refinery on Friday increased its ex-depot price for Premium Motor Spirit to N880 per litre, raising fresh concerns over fuel affordability and price volatility in the downstream sector.

Checks on petroleumprice.ng, a platform tracking daily product prices, and a Pro Forma Invoice seen by The PUNCH confirmed the hike, representing a N55 increase from the previous rate of N825 per litre.

The increment would ripple across the entire fuel distribution chain, likely pushing pump prices above N900/litre in some parts of the country, especially in areas far from the distribution hubs.

The hike comes despite global crude prices falling. Brent crude dipped by 3.02% to $76.47, WTI fell to $74.93, and Murban dropped to $76.97 on Friday. The decline in benchmarks offers little relief due to persistent fears of sudden supply disruptions.

The refinery has increased its reliance on imported U.S. crude and operational costs amid exchange rate instability, which adds to its pricing pressure.

On Thursday, the President of the Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, said his 650,000-barrel capacity refinery is “increasingly” relying on the United States for crude oil.

This came as findings showed that the Dangote Petroleum Refinery is projected to import a total of 17.65 million barrels of crude oil between April and July 2025, beginning with about 3.65 million barrels already delivered in the past two months, amid ongoing allocations under the Federal Government’s naira-for-crude policy.

Dangote informed the Technical Committee of the One-Stop Shop for the sale of crude and refined products in naira initiative that the refinery was still battling crude shortages, which had led it to resort to imports from the United States.

On Monday, the president of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, Festus Osifo, accused oil marketers of exploiting Nigerians through inflated petrol prices, insisting that the current pump price of PMS should range between N700 and N750 per litre.

He criticised the disparity between falling global crude oil prices and the stagnant retail price of petrol in Nigeria.

“If you go online and check the PLAT cost per cubic metre of PMS, convert that to litres and then to our Naira, you will see that with crude at around $60 per barrel, petrol should be retailing between N700 and N750 per litre.”

He asserted that if Nigerians bear the brunt of higher fuel costs, they should be allowed to enjoy the benefit of low pricing.

His forecast of increased costs now appears spot on, considering the latest developments.

Marketers are already adjusting. Depot owners and fuel distributors in Lagos and other cities anticipate a domino effect, with new price bands expected to follow Dangote’s lead.

Many had held back pricing decisions since Tuesday, when the refinery halted sales and withheld fresh PFIs. The delay fueled speculation, allowing opportunistic price hikes across various depots.

Business

Naira Appreciates At Official Market

Published

4 weeks ago

May 24, 2025

Editor

The Naira, which has seen steady appreciation against the Dollar all week, closed stronger on Friday, trading at ₦1,580.44 in the official forex market.

Data from the Central Bank of Nigeria’s website show the Naira gained ₦4.51k against the Dollar on Friday alone.

This marks a 0.28 per cent appreciation from Thursday’s closing rate of ₦1,584.95 in the official foreign exchange window.

The local currency maintained consistent strength throughout the week, recording gains daily.

On Monday, May 19, it traded at ₦1,598.68; on Tuesday, at ₦1,590.45; and on Wednesday, at ₦1,584.49.

These gains suggest increased investor confidence and improved forex supply, contributing to the naira’s performance.

Meanwhile, the CBN, at its 300th Monetary Policy Committee meeting held Monday and Tuesday, retained the Monetary Policy Rate at 27.5 per cent.

Business

BREAKING: Again, Dangote Refinery Cuts Petrol Price

Published

4 weeks ago

May 22, 2025

Editor

The Dangote Petroleum Refinery has announced a nationwide reduction in the pump price of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), commonly known as petrol, with new prices now ranging between ₦875 and ₦905 per litre, depending on location.

The ₦15 per litre cut applies across all regions and partner fuel stations, and was confirmed via an official announcement posted on Dangote Refinery’s social media channels on Thursday.

Major marketers participating in the new pricing regime include MRS, Ardova, Heyden, Optima Energy, Techno Oil, and Hyde Energy — partners in the distribution of Dangote-refined products.

Under the previous pricing structure, Lagos residents paid ₦890 per litre, while prices reached ₦920 in the North-East and South-South regions. With the latest adjustment, Lagos now pays ₦875 per litre, while the North-East and South-South will see prices drop to ₦905.

A regional breakdown of the revised prices is as follows: Lagos: ₦875, South-West: ₦885, North-West & Central: ₦895, North-East & South-South: ₦905 and South-East: ₦905.

In its announcement, Dangote Refinery encouraged consumers to purchase fuel only from authorised partner stations and urged the public to report any cases of non-compliance via its official hotlines: +234 707 470 2099 and +234 707 470 2100.

“Our quality petrol and diesel are refined for better engine performance and are environmentally friendly,” the company said.