Business News
Nigerian Treasury Bills fall to 5.2% per annum
The latest data from the Central Bank of Nigeria reveals Nigeria’s 364-day treasury bills have fallen to 5.2%.
The latest data from the Central Bank of Nigeria reveals Nigeria’s 364-day treasury bills have fallen to 5.2%. This is the lowest we have seen in almost a decade indicative of the major disconnect in financial markets.
182-day bills went for stop rates of 4.9% and 91-day rates 3.5% per annum respectively. The total amount on offer for 364-day bills was N44.8 billion with investors staking about N105.9 billion. Bids for 182 and 91-day also outstripped offers by a combined N35 billion.
Why this matters: The massive disparity between the subscriptions and the offers suggests investors are willing to earn a negative real return (treasury bills rate less inflation rate) than take higher risk in other assets such as stocks and real estates.
The increase in demand for treasury bills compared to supply is largely due to a dearth in investable funds available to investors. Back in October, the Central Bank restricted investments in its lucrative OMO bills to commercial banks and foreign investors leaving hundreds of billions of naira in cash in the dust.
[READ ALSO: T-bills Trade Bullish to Close the Week as CBN Stalls on OMO Auction(Opens in a new browser tab)]
Before now, the OMO market was seen by investors such as Pension Funds, Insurance Companies, FinTEchs, etc. as a viable option for investing free cash flow. The restriction now leaves them with very little options. Most investors surveyed by Nairametrics complain that they will rather continue to invest in safe havens like the CBN’s treasury bills rather than investing in stocks despite their perceived low valuations.
Retail investors have also shown interest in buying dollars preferring to earn as low as 4% in the greenback as against holding the naira at 6%. However, if yields continue to be this low most investors could fall prey to Ponzi schemes which typically thrive in low yield environments.
Reliable sources also inform Nairametrics that the CBN is keeping a close watch on investor reactions to the low yield environment and considers this a temporary situation. Rates may pick up if the pressure triggers a spike in the demand for dollars.
Economy & Politics
FAAC disburses N682.06 billion to 3 tiers of govt in September [Full-List]
FAAC disbursed the sum of N682.06bn to the three tiers of government in September 2020.
The Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) disbursed the sum of N682.06bn to the three tiers of government in September 2020. This is contained in the latest monthly FAAC report released by the National Bureau of Statistics.
According to the report, the federal allocation of N682.06bn disbursed to the three tiers (FG, States and LGAs) indicates a 1% marginal increase when compared to N676.4 billion disbursed in August 2020.
The Breakdown
A cursory look at the report showed that in September, the Federal Government received a total of N272.90bn (40%), States received a total of N197.65bn (21.6%) and Local Governments received N147.42bn (21.6%). The sum of N30.88bn (4.5%) was shared among the oil producing states as 13% derivation fund.
In addition, revenue generating agencies such as Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) and Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) received N6.66bn (1%), N13.48bn (2%) and N5.70bn (0.8%) respectively as cost of revenue collections.
Further breakdown of revenue allocation distribution to the Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) revealed that the sum of N196.56bn was disbursed to the FGN consolidated revenue account; N4.78bn was disbursed as share of derivation and ecology; N2.39bn as stabilization fund; N8.03bn was for the development of natural resources; and N6.12bn to the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja.
States federal allocation rose marginally
In September 2020, allocation to states rose by 3.4% to N197.65 billion compared to N198.8 billion recorded in the previous month.
The top five states with the largest share of monthly allocation in September are Delta (N13.8 Billion), Lagos (N11.44 billion), Rivers (N11.04 billion), Akwa Ibom (10.33 billion) and Bayelsa (N8.33billion). On the other hand, the top five states at the bottom of the ranking are Ekiti (N3.8 billion), Ogun (N3.7 billion), Plateau (N3.6 billion), Osun (N3.24 billion), and Cross River (N3.23 billion).
Key Takeaway
The federal allocation disbursed to the three tiers in September showed consistent improvement, when compared the previous months. However, this is still a short fall when compared to N740.87bn disbursed to the three tiers in the corresponding period of 2019.
The marginal growth recorded in the disbursed federal allocation may be due to the rise in revenue generation, on the back of earlier improvement in both domestic and cross border economic activities.
For states in Nigeria that largely depend on federal allocation to meet recurrent obligations, this may represent some sort of boost. However, the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic (second wave) currently emerging in some developed economies may threaten oil price (the country’s main revenue source), as industrial activities may collapse globally for the second time in the year.
Economy & Politics
WTO: Nigeria to persuade the US to join the consensus on Okonjo-Iweala – Trade Ministry
Nigeria is making moves to reach out to the US to agreed to appoint Okonjo-Iweala as Director-General of the WTO.
The Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade & Investment has said that Nigeria is currently reaching out to the United States and South Korea to back the WTO preferred candidate, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, for the role of DG of WTO.
This was disclosed in a statement by the Ministry and reported by Reuters on Saturday morning.
Recall that Nairametrics reported this week that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced in a statement that Nigeria’s candidate for Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO), Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, had secured the support of the majority of the member-nations – but was yet to be declared and returned as the winner, as the United States opposed the consensus.
Nairametrics also reported this week that Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala was close to being appointed as the new Director-General of the World Trade Organisation (WTO). A group of ambassadors also known as “troika” had proposed Okonjo-Iweala to lead the WTO, giving her a clear path to becoming the first woman to head the WTO since it started 25 years ago.
The U.S President, Donald Trump, blocked the appointment of Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala as the WTO’s next DG on Wednesday, declaring support for South Korea’s Yoo Myung-hee instead.
The Ministry said that the FG would try to persuade the United States to join the consensus, as most of the WTO’s members had agreed to appoint Okonjo-Iweala as DG.
“Nigeria is currently reaching out to all members of the WTO including the United States and South Korea to overcome the impasse as well as persuade the United States to join the consensus,” the trade ministry said.
Appointments
Dangote Sugar appoints Ravindra Singhvi as GMD/Chief Executive Officer
Mr. Ravindra Singhvi has been appointed as the substantive Group Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Dangote Sugar Refinery Plc.
The Board of Directors of Dangote Sugar has appointed Mr. Ravindra Singhvi as substantive Group Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Dangote Sugar Refinery Plc, effective October 30, 2020.
This disclosure was made by the company in a notification of the resolution of its board meeting, to the Nigerian Stock Exchange.
The statement partly reads:
“Dangote Sugar Refinery Plc. wishes to notify the Exchange and the investing public that at the Board of Directors Meeting of the Company held today, Friday October 30, 2020, the Board approved (a) the Unaudited Financial Statement for the Quarter Ended September 30, 2020, and (b) the appointment of the current Ag. Managing Director, Mr. Ravindra Singhvi as substantive Group Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Dangote Sugar Refinery Plc. effective October 30, 2020.”
What you should know
Prior to his new appointment, Mr Singhvi had been the ag. Managing Director of Dangote Sugar Refinery Plc since 18th June, 2019, after serving as the company’s Chief Operating Officer.
The Board’s stance on the appointment
The Board has stated that it is “confident that he is a great asset to the Company, particularly at this time when it is on a rapid growth trajectory, in view of its recent acquisition and it’s several backward integration projects (BIP) to position itself for further job creation in local plantations and factories, import substitution and deeper contribution to national economic development.”
Mr. Singhvi is wished the very best in his endeavors.
About Mr. Ravindra Singhvi
He has over 39 years of proven experience in leadership positions in Manufacturing and Processes in Sugar, Petrochemicals, Cement, and Textiles products industries in India.
He is a Chartered Accountant with background in Company Secretarial Practice, Corporate Governance and Management, and holds a Bachelor’s Degree in B.Com (Hons) and Law(I) from the University of Jodhpur, India.
Prior to joining Dangote Sugar Refinery Plc, Mr. Singhvi had served as the Managing Director & CEO of NSL Sugar Limited, Hyderabad, India, and Managing Director, EID Parry (1) Limited, Chennai, India, one of top three sugar producing companies in India.
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Anonymous
January 3, 2020 at 8:42 am
The risk on government securities is low, so the high interest rates on T-Bills is the actual absurdity. In my opinion, this is long overdue.
Jonathan
January 21, 2020 at 1:14 pm
what? all that matters is the inflation rate relative to the treasury bill rate.
this negative yield now implies that you now have to pay the govt for the pleasure of holding your money. its insane.
Toni
January 3, 2020 at 2:45 pm
developed countries like America and uk has an incredibly low returns for decades and i always wondered why Nigeria consistently offer 10-12%, can you elaborate on this Admin? Will be greatly appreciated.
Jonathan
January 21, 2020 at 1:18 pm
theyre always devaluing the currency, so they inflate it to make it seem more. its a trick. the real value of the currency is constantly depreciating.
Stanley
January 3, 2020 at 5:06 pm
I believe portfolio managers can still invest part of their funds in the stock market with some success. Those investors who are staying away from the stock market now due to the current low prices/returns are the same who would likely jump in later after prices have risen again, buying the bubble and risking losses due to profit taking by early investors. Good investors are known for taking calculated risks after diligent analysis and taking their positions early, not just following the crowd. One of the problems we have with investment as Nigerians is that we want very quick returns, hence our repeated vulnerability to ponzi schemes. This is also another reason (besides poor macro-economy) our stock market is still underdeveloped, as we cannot invest consistently in the stock market over a long time. We always wait for foreign investors to spark a rally, then local investors jump in and when the foreigners withdraw their funds, we also follow suit depressing prices below pre-rally levels taking us back to square one.
CEO Nimo Investment
January 8, 2020 at 5:30 pm
Well there is always up and down in any investment or business and Nigeria can’t be exceptional I believed this is a temporary situation because our economy is still not strong for this.
Ayodeji
January 19, 2020 at 7:30 am
Dear Nairametrics,
My 365 days investment in TB matured some days ago. To my surprise, firstbank rolled over without my permission and paid me about 65,000 Naira on 3 million Naira. Am not happy about rollover without my conscience and the interest is ridiculous. Kindly advise if this rate is official and if not, what can I do to seek redress? I now live in Osun state but carried out the investement when I was in Lagos.
Ayodeji
Nairametrics
January 19, 2020 at 10:03 am
Hello Ayodeji,
It’s an official rate. However, why not approach your bank and have them terminate it. Rgds
Chichi paul
January 31, 2020 at 9:07 am
Good day Admin. Pls can you advice me on where to invest since T-bills and Fixed deposit rate is very low now. Thanks
Anonymous
February 23, 2020 at 3:32 am
Where one invest since this isn’t working again
Onwuanyiam Azuka
March 5, 2020 at 4:33 pm
Where will one invest