Business News

UPDATED: CBN holds MPR at 13.5%, other parameters amidst recession concerns

The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has held the Monetary Policy Rate (MPR) constant at 13.5%.

Published

8 months ago

March 24, 2020

Samuel Oyekanmi

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The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has held the Monetary Policy Rate (MPR) constant at 13.5%. This was disclosed by Governor, CBN, Godwin Emefiele, while reading the communique at the end of the MPC meeting.

Other parameters such as Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR), Liquidity ratio, and asymmetric corridor remain unchanged. According to the MPC, the decision to hold all rates constant was largely driven by the effect of the outbreak of COVID-19 that has largely disrupted the global economy, as Nigeria faces a crunch test following crash in oil price.

Highlights of the Committee’s decision

MPR was kept at 13.50%
The asymmetric corridor of +200/-500 basis points around the MPR was retained.
CRR was retained at 27.5%
While Liquid Ratio was also kept at 30%

The Committees decision

According to Emefiele, the MPC felt that tightening would result in reining in the rising trend in inflation and that it would support reserve accretion. However, this would reduce money supply and limit DMBs credit creation capacity, thus resulting in increasing the cost of credit, with adverse impact on output growth.

With respect to loosening, the Committee felt it would stimulate the economy in the short term, and boost aggregate supply and demand. Nevertheless, the MPC was of the view that there was a need to be cautious in loosening given the fact that it would exacerbate an already worsening inflationary condition, resulting in massive pressure on reserves and the exchange rate.

Based on the balance of these arguments, the MPC stated that due to the recent actions already taken by the Management of the Bank in response to the COVID-19, it resolved to allow time for the measures to permeate the economy while allowing the pandemic to wear out its plateau before deciding on further supporting policy measures to boost and strengthen aggregate demand and supply in the recovery phase of the economy.

Consequently, the choice to hold also considered the subsisting LDR and the CRR policies, which sterilize excess liquidity in the banking system, hence an increase in the MPR would be counter-productive.

The COVID-19 may trigger recession

In its communique, the MPC reviewed prevailing adverse conditions in the global economy such as the COVID-19 pandemic and the oil price shock. According to Emefiele, COVID-19 will also result in massive economic crises that will force many countries into recession, including the leading industrialised countries. On the Nigerian economy, the decline in oil prices will severely impact accretion to external reserves and the exchange rate pressures.

While providing details on the Central Bank’s exchange rate unification, the CBN governor stated that the apex bank’s prompt response with the adjustment of the exchange rate to uniform market rates and the removal of distortions is expected to also impact the economy.

COVID-19 Pandemic dampens outlook

On the front foot, the MPC underscored that COVID-19 pandemic as a public health crisis will continue to undermine any monetary or fiscal stimulus unless appropriate measures are taken to trace, test, isolate and treat infected persons in order to curtail the spread.

The MPC, therefore, called on the Federal Government to take the necessary steps to safeguard the population through close monitoring and emergency readiness measures to identify and care for infected persons in the country, including compulsory restriction of movement to curtail the spread of the pandemic.

Samuel Oyekanmi

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Companies

ValuAlliance distributes value fund of N10 per unit for H1, 2020

ValuAlliance Value Fund has declared the distribution to unit holders, the sum of N10.00/unit for the financial year ended June 30, 2020.

Published

25 mins ago

November 27, 2020

Chidi Emenike

ValuAlliance Value Fund (“Value Fund” or the “Fund”), formerly called the SIM Capital Alliance Value Fund, has declared the distribution to unit holders, the sum of N10.00/unit for the financial year ended June 30, 2020.

This is according to a notification by the firm, sent to the Nigerian Stock Exchange market and seen by Nairametrics.

The latest distribution indicates a decline of N1/unit when compared to its distribution in the corresponding period last year.

The key highlights of the recent notification include:

Annual General Meeting Date: 21st December 2020
AGM Venue: 33A Alfred Rewane (Kingsway) Road, Ikoyi, Lagos, Nigeria
Proposed Distribution: ₦10/unit
Qualification Date: 9th December 2020
Closure of Register Date: 10th December 2020
Payment Date: 23rd December 2020

What you should know

The Value Fund is a closed-end Fund registered and regulated by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), whose units are listed on the main board of the NSE.
The Value Fund for the year ended June 30, 2020 achieved a growth of 2.83% Year-on-Year, with a cumulative return of 125.32% since inception, which translates to a 9-year Internal Rate of Return (IRR) of 12.06%.

Economy & Politics

Nigeria generates N416.01 billion from Company Income Tax in Q3 2020

Total company income tax generated increased by 3.48% in Q3 2020, compared to N402.03 billion recorded in Q2 2020.

Published

2 hours ago

November 27, 2020

Samuel Oyekanmi

Nigeria generated the sum of N416.01 billion from Company Income Tax (CIT) in the third quarter of 2020. This was revealed in the Company Income Tax by Sectors report, recently released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).

According to the report, the total CIT generated increased by 3.48% in Q3 2020, compared to N402.03 billion recorded in the previous quarter (Q2 2020). It reduced by 20.13% compared to N520.89 billion recorded in the corresponding quarter (Q3) of 2019.

Highlights

Company income tax generated year-to-date sums up to N1.11 trillion as against N1.26 trillion in the comparable period of 2019.
Professional Services including Telecoms generated the highest amount of CIT with N55.52 billion generated, closely followed by Other Manufacturing with N42.03 billion.
Banks & Financial Institutions generated a sum of N24.05 billion.
Mining generated the least, closely followed by Textile and Garment Industry and Local Government Councils with N120.93 million, N167.51 million, and N321.72 million generated respectively.

Out of the total amount generated in Q3 2020, N244.70 billion was generated as CIT locally, while N70.34 billion was generated as foreign CIT payment. The balance of N100.97 billion was generated as income taxes from other payments.

Automobiles and Assemblies grows CIT by 994%

In terms of sectors with the highest increase in company income tax remittances, the Automobiles and Assemblies sector grew its CIT by 994%, from N81.6 million in Q2 2020 to N892.7 million. It was closely followed by the Gas sector, which grew its CIT by 626% to stand at N4.76 billion from N655.5 million.

On the flip side, transport and haulage services recorded the highest decline in company income tax, as it reduced by 76% to stand at N7.35 billion from N31.1 billion. This is closely followed by Banks and financial institutions, which declined by 51% to stand at N24.1 billion.

Bottom line

The rise in company income tax is an indication of the Nigerian government’s move to improve the generation of revenue from the fiscal side as against oil exportation. However, the halt in economic activities due to the COVID-19 pandemic contributed to the year-on-year decline in company income tax.

Coronavirus

COVID-19 Update in Nigeria

On the 26th of November 2020, 169 new confirmed cases were recorded in Nigeria

Published

8 hours ago

November 27, 2020

Samuel Oyekanmi

The spread of novel Corona Virus Disease (COVID-19) in Nigeria continues to record significant increases as the latest statistics provided by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control reveal Nigeria now has 66,974 confirmed cases.

On the 26th of November 2020, 169 new confirmed cases were recorded in Nigeria, having carried out a total daily test of 7,101 samples across the country.

To date, 66,974 cases have been confirmed, 62,585 cases have been discharged and 1,169 deaths have been recorded in 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory. A total of 756,237 tests have been carried out as of November 26th, 2020 compared to 749,136 tests a day earlier.

COVID-19 Case Updates- 26th November 2020,

Total Number of Cases – 66,974
Total Number Discharged – 62,585
Total Deaths – 1,169
Total Tests Carried out – 756,237

According to the NCDC, the 169 new cases were reported from 12 states- Kaduna (74), FCT (42), Lagos (17), Kano (8), Ogun (6), Oyo (6), Rivers (6), Ekiti (3), Bauchi (3), Katsina (2), Delta (1) and Ondo (1).

Meanwhile, the latest numbers bring Lagos state total confirmed cases to 23,083, followed by Abuja (6,671), Plateau (3,813), Oyo (3,721), Kaduna (3,019), Rivers (2,969), Edo (2,696), Ogun (2,202), Delta (1,824), Kano (1,789), Ondo (1,728), Enugu (1,332), Kwara (1,096), Ebonyi (1,055), Katsina (1,014), Osun (945), Gombe (938). Abia (926), Bauchi (765), and Borno (745).

Imo State has recorded 662 cases, Benue (496), Nasarawa (488), Bayelsa (445), Ekiti (357), Akwa Ibom (339), Jigawa (331), Niger (296), Anambra (285), Adamawa (261), Sokoto (165), Taraba (157), Yobe (94), Kebbi (93), Cross River (90), Zamfara (79), while Kogi state has recorded 5 cases only.

Lock Down and Curfew

In a move to combat the spread of the pandemic disease, President Muhammadu Buhari directed the cessation of all movements in Lagos and the FCT for an initial period of 14 days, which took effect from 11 pm on Monday, 30th March 2020.

The movement restriction, which was extended by another two-weeks period, has been partially put on hold with some businesses commencing operations from May 4. On April 27th, 2020, Nigeria’s President, Muhammadu Buhari declared an overnight curfew from 8 pm to 6 am across the country, as part of new measures to contain the spread of the COVID-19. This comes along with the phased and gradual easing of lockdown measures in FCT, Lagos, and Ogun States, which took effect from Saturday, 2nd May 2020, at 9 am.

On Monday, 29th June 2020 the federal government extended the second phase of the eased lockdown by 4 weeks and approved interstate movement outside curfew hours with effect from July 1, 2020. Also, on Monday 27th July 2020, the federal government extended the second phase of eased lockdown by an additional one week.

On Thursday, 6th August 2020 the federal government through the secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) and Chairman of the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19 announced the extension of the second phase of eased lockdown by another four (4) weeks.