Economy

JPMorgan: Poor Economic Decision By Okonjo Iweala

Published

8 years ago

September 13, 2015

In 2012, when Nigeria was listed on JPMorgan emerging market Bond index, it was done based on a two-way quote by the CBN and the then minister of finance, Okonjo Iweala, backing their decision on Nigeria growing economy of 7.4 percent annual GDP and 6.9 percent in 2011, substantiated with a blooming global oil price averaging between $90 to $100 a barrel as at the time, and knowing fully well that cost of servicing foreign debts will reduce significantly and position she, Okonjo Iweala as the powerhouse of Africa largest economy on the international scene and the force behind the actualization of Nigeria dream to a more mainstream investment destination, they concluded it was the right thing to do without proper consideration for future consequences in the advent of global disasters like a current drop in global energy prices and emerging market economic rout.

Here is the logic, Nigeria is a petrol-dollar economy, which means her economic growth is directly proportional to both petroleum (crude oil) and dollar strength. The former is regulated by global demand and supply while the latter is determined by the US economy, while Nigeria’s economy is being driven by the non-oil sector (construction, telecoms, manufacturing and agriculture) mainly, it is normal to expect the economic team representing the nation to base their decisions on those sectors that are thriving and can be internally regulated even if it means not been listed as at the time but no, their decision was based on the crude oil price.

In 2014, when the oil price started falling after peaking at $105.64 in June, with fewer options left to curb the situation, Okonjo Iweala, the minister of finance took to the media, in her words “Nigeria should brace for tougher economic times ahead” insinuating she has no solution apart from her overzealous ambiguity to be at the realm of power and yet we were being chastised for not retaining her team in power.

The current Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) administration came in without much time to curtail the situation, and with naira weakened to more than 200 per dollar for the first time, Godwin Emefiele, Chairman of Central Bank of Nigeria was forced to take a decisive decision which includes spending $380 million to stop the fall of the Naira, restricting 41 item’s importers from accessing FOREX official rate, overhauling foreign currency domicile accounts, restricting dollar withdrawal limit on locally issued credit cards and pegging naira to a fixed rate of 197 to a US dollar. Bear in mind that these might not be perfect economic measures as Nigeria is a heavy import-dependent economy but juxtaposing the danger of what would have happened without these measures with been delisted, an economist will agree it is an acceptable policy given the circumstances.

Here are the possible consequences if the CBN had succumbed to JPMorgan pressure and gone ahead with the devaluation using two-way forex market has suggested, naira value would be between 300 to 320 naira to a US dollar by now, inflation would have surged to double-digit from 9.20 percent recorded in July 2015. The cost of goods and services would jump to a new height, followed by an increase in unemployment as interest rates would have risen, making loans almost inaccessible for companies to finance capital projects. Overall, the decision would have created negative perceptions about Nigeria’s true economic growth (GDP), and subsequently, forced these same foreign investors backed by JPMorgan to safeguard their funds by withdrawing based on uncertainty and high risk after profiting from the decline.

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Samed Olukoya

Is the CEO/Founder of Investors King Limited. A proven foreign exchange research analyst and a published author on Yahoo Finance, Nasdaq, Entrepreneur.com, Investorplace, and many more. He has over two decades of experience in global financial markets.

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Economy

China and Brazil Move Away from US Dollar in New Trade Deal

Published

3 days ago

March 30, 2023

Samed Olukoya

China and Brazil have struck a new trade deal that will allow them to trade in their own currencies, bypassing the need for the US dollar as an intermediary.

This agreement marks a significant move by China to reduce its reliance on the dollar and establishes the country as a formidable rival to the US in the global economy.

The deal was announced by the Brazilian government on Wednesday and will enable the two nations to conduct their financial transactions directly, using Chinese Yuan for Brazilian Real and vice versa.

Brazil’s biggest trading partner is China with bilateral trade worth a record USD 150.5 billion in 2022.

For Brazil, this deal represents a significant shift away from the traditional reliance on the US dollar as the world’s primary currency. According to the Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency, ApexBrasil, the agreement is expected to reduce costs and promote even greater bilateral trade.

The move away from the US dollar as an intermediary in international trade could have far-reaching implications for the global economy. Other countries may follow suit and start conducting their trade and financial transactions in their own currencies, potentially undermining the dollar’s position as the world’s primary currency.

This is not the first time that China has taken steps to reduce its dependence on the US dollar. In recent years, the country has been promoting the use of the yuan in international trade and investment, and has signed currency swap agreements with other countries to facilitate trade in their own currencies.

The shift away from the US dollar comes at a time of growing tensions between China and the US, with both countries engaged in a trade war and competing for global influence. As China seeks to establish itself as a major player in the global economy, this move is just one example of the country’s efforts to assert its economic power and challenge the dominance of the US.

Economy

Nigeria’s External Reserves Receive $1 Billion Boost from Oil Sales and Exports

Nigeria’s external reserves grew by $1.063 billion within 24 hours on March 28, 2023 to $36.668 billion in a move suspected to be inflow from the proceed of crude oil and exports.

Published

3 days ago

March 30, 2023

Samed Olukoya

United States Dollar - Investors King Ltd

Nigeria’s external reserves have received a significant boost of $1 billion from oil sales and exports, according to recent reports.

The increase resulted in a 0.11% appreciation in Naira value on Wednesday as the Naira to United States Dollar exchange rate moderated from N461.75 it closed on Tuesday to N451.24 at the Investors and Exporters (I&E) forex window.

However, despite the positive news, currency dealers maintained bids between N459.50 (low) and N462.13 (high) per dollar. At the parallel market, also known as the black market, the local currency traded at N744 per dollar on Wednesday.

Analysts at the FSDH research have predicted that the Nigerian Naira will continue to face pressure from high import costs and demand for foreign currency by businesses and individuals. However, they expect the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to continue intervening in the FX market to contain the pace of depreciation.

Nigeria’s external reserves grew by $1.063 billion within 24 hours on March 28, 2023 to $36.668 billion in a move suspected to be inflow from the proceed of crude oil and exports.

The decline in external reserves from US$37.1 billion in January 2023 to US$36.1 billion on March 15, 2023, has been attributed to interventions in the FX markets and limited foreign exchange inflows. However, rising oil production in recent months raises the prospect of reserves accretion in the second half of 2023, according to analysts.

The scarcity of foreign currency in the official market coupled with a high exchange rate of N745/US$ in the parallel market continues to drive high input costs and imported inflation.

It remains to be seen how the country will navigate these challenges in the coming months.

Economy

Rivers State Customs Service Generates Over N54 Billion in Q1 2023

Published

5 days ago

March 28, 2023

Samed Olukoya

The Nigeria Customs Service, Area 2 Command in Onne, Rivers State realised N54.992 billion in revenue in the first (Q1) of 2023.

According to the Command Controller, Comptroller Baba Imam, this amount realised is part of the N336 billion revenue projected for 2023.

Imam revealed this information while addressing journalists in Onne, Eleme Local Government Area of Rivers State on Tuesday.

This represents an increase of N1.133 billion when compared to the amount generated in the first quarter of 2022.

Imam revealed that the command made several seizures, which he stated is a reflection of their commitment to facilitating only legitimate trade in accordance with extant laws.

The seizures included 24 containers carrying refined vegetable oil, two containers carrying 1,165 cartons of Analgin injection and fireworks, and one 20ft of machete that was detained on documentation grounds until an end-user certificate was provided.

The duty-paid value of the seized containers was N94,652,168.39 million, while the duty-paid value of the seized vegetable oil containers was N833,172,538.42.

Imam stated, “In revenue generation, the command was given a target of N336 billion as revenue target for 2023.

“As of today, the command has generated a total revenue of N54, 992,123, 687.15 billion which transits to 16.3 per cent of the target. When compared to the same period last year, the Command has an increase in revenue of N1,132, 925, 556.82bn.

“This figure was realized in spite of not having vessels berth in Onne Port for some time due to the election atmosphere. We look forward to a continuous rise in revenue generation in the coming months as we expect vessels to berth on our coastline within the next few weeks.”

Speaking further on the command’s anti-smuggling activities, he said within the past few weeks, there has been a lot of seizures.

“This is made visible with the display of a total number which comprises 26 seized containers and one detained container for violation or contraventions of various customs laws and breach of procedures as provided under the revised import prohibition guidelines Schedule 3 Article 4 of the Common External Tariff 2022-2026 as well as Section 46 paragraph (b), (d), (e), (f) and 169 of Customs and Excise Management.

“Twenty four containers laden with refined vegetable oil comprising a total of 24,860 gallons of 25 and 10 litres of La-Jonic vegetable oil. Also seized were other two containers laden with 1,165 cartons of Analgin injection and fireworks with other items.”