Author: Jordan

Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar Former Vice President and African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has called on the Federal Government to explain what he described as the omission of public expenditure equivalent to two per cent of Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) from recent budgets, following a reported observation by the International Monetary Fund (IMF). In a statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku said the IMF’s disclosure, coming amid the controversy surrounding the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), raised serious concerns about transparency and accountability in public finance management.…

Business TRADING on the Nigerian stock market closed bullish on Friday, ending the week with N3.156 trillion gain for investors. This was driven by renewed investor interest in banking, telecommunications as well as oil and gas stocks. The market capitalisation closed at N147,102 trillion from an opening of N143.946 trillion, representing a 2.19 per cent gain. Similarly, the All-Share Index gained by 2.19 per cent or 4,918.37 points from 224,321.97 to 229,240.34. While the market’s Year-to-Date (YTD) return improved to 47.31 per cent, the market breadth closed positive, recording 39 gainers and 14 losers. Airtel Africa, The Initiates, Omatek Ventures,…

Europe’s major stock markets ended higher on Friday, with the pan-European STOXX 600 and Germany’s DAX reaching fresh record highs as investors welcomed easing expectations for near-term US interest rate hikes and rotated into cyclical sectors.The STOXX 600 climbed 0.7% to close at a record high after touching an intraday peak of 652.35, registering its strongest weekly gain since mid-May. Germany’s DAX advanced 0.8% to another all-time closing high.In the UK, the FTSE 100 added 0.2% to close at 10,679.03, securing a weekly gain, while the FTSE 250 rose 0.5%.The advance was driven by strength in cyclical sectors, including industrials,…

Landlords in most areas saw their rental yields drop in Q2 at a time when many were considering their future investments. Introduction of the Renters’ Rights Act in May prompted many property investors to think about whether to sell up. Now, new figures from Fleet Mortgages reveal average rental yields rose across England and Wales compared to the same time last year, but the majority of regions experienced a short-term dip. Landlords active Steve Cox, Chief Commercial Officer at Fleet Mortgages (pictured), says: “Our figures continue to show professional landlords remain active. “Purchase activity has picked up, portfolio landlords continue…

In this piece, we will discuss the 10 Overlooked Penny Stocks to Buy Right Now.Broader market forces are shaping the backdrop for smaller, overlooked names as investors weigh what comes next for stocks in the second half of 2026.Reuters reported on June 30, 2026, that the U.S. stock market faces several tests to sustain its rally into the second half of 2026, including the durability of AI spending, a high bar for corporate earnings, and interest rate policy under a new Federal Reserve chairman. The S&P 500 has gained more than 8% this year, extending a bull run past three…

“While this feature is attractive for homeowners, it comes at a significant cost as buyers of mortgage backed securities (‘MBS’) require a significant increase in spread to compensate them for giving the borrower the option to prepay at anytime.” He said an MBS investor has estimated that shifting to a structure with penalties could cut the rate on a standard 30‑year Fannie or Freddie loan by about 65 basis points, giving borrowers a choice to “obtain a 30-year prepayable mortgage at today’s ~6% rate, or at a 5.35% rate, but with the obligation to pay a prepayment penalty if he/she refinanced…

US LNG exports to Latin America and the Caribbean in May hit a 37-month high, increasing around 55% from May, S&P Global Energy CERA data showed July 3. The US exported around 48.84 billion cubic feet of LNG to the region in June, up from 31.44 Bcf in May. June export volumes were nearly 10% higher than the 44.44 Bcf exported in June 2025, and nearly 3% higher than the 47.59 Bcf recorded in the same month in 2024. The previous highest monthly export level was 51.49 Bcf in May 2023. US LNG export volumes in June were shipped to…

KPMG Australia analysis of ABS data on home loans, personal loans and credit cards interest payments over the past 40 years reveals households are now facing one of the heaviest interest burdens on record.Over the past two years, households have tougher conditions than they did when the RBA cash rate reached 17.5 percent in 1989. The KPMG analysis looked at interest payment to income as an average across all households, not just those with home loans. The ratio reflects, interest payments and not principal repayments. After hitting a historical low of 2.6 percent in the March quarter 2022, interest payments on debt…

Financial data and analytics provider FactSet has entered into a strategic partnership with Google Cloud to expand the use of agentic AI across financial services, according to a recent press release. The companies said the collaboration combines FactSet’s financial intelligence platform with Google Cloud’s AI models and infrastructure to deliver workflow-specific AI solutions supported by trusted, fully sourced data suitable for regulated environments. Under the agreement, FactSet will embed Google’s Gemini models and enterprise search capabilities into its Workstation, deepen integration with Gemini Enterprise to improve interoperability between the two platforms, and jointly develop AI agents for investment research, portfolio…

RBC Enhanced North American Value Fund – ETF Series, RBC Enhanced Quant Canadian Dividend Leaders Fund – ETF Series and RBC Enhanced Quant U.S. Dividend Leaders Fund – ETF Series provide investors with access to alternative investment strategies managed by RBC Global Asset Management Inc. TORONTO, June 9, 2026 /CNW/ – The RBC iShares alliance today announced the launch of three new ETF Series of RBC Funds (“ETF Series”), expanding its suite of alternative investment solutions for Canadian investors and advisors. The new ETF Series are managed by RBC Global Asset Management Inc. (“RBC GAM Inc.”) and are expected to begin…