JUST IN:

America’s JP Morgan removed NIGERIA from Emerging Market, Blacklist from Foreign Investors 

… country out of ‘overweight’ category due to fiscal woes amid a worsening global risk,  replaced Nigeria in list with Serbia and Uzbekistan

* Claims ‘shady deal’ in Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation non-transfer of any revenue to the government from January to March this year caused market panic

*Bank analysts bank revealed Emerging Markets Bond Index Global Diversified index dropped 16% this year, most losses come from rates of $4 billion in net outflows from emerging markets since mid-April

*BY BISOLA EWEYEMI/FINANCE Editor, New York, GEORGE ELIJAH OTUMU/AMERICAN Senior Investigative Editor & AHMED NURUDEEN/BUSINESS Reporter, Abuja

NIGERIA, Africa’s most populous black nation is in the news for the wrong reasons. America’s JP Morgan has removed the nation from Emerging Market classification, placed country on blacklist to foreign investors; replaced by Serbia and Uzbekistan over the non-transparent deal within the country’s oil sector, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, such that no revenue was paid to the coffers of Nigeria from January to March this year. This caused panic in the global market. 

JPMorgan removed Nigeria from its list of emerging market sovereign recommendations that investors should be ‘overweight’ in, saying the country had not taken advantage of high oil prices.

Analysts use overweight and underweight to broadcast recommendations on buying or avoiding stocks of certain sectors. Analysts attach an overweight recommendation to a stock that they believe will outperform its sector in the near future.

According to Reuters, the bank analysts said NNPC did not transfer any revenue to the government from January to March this year due to petrol subsidies and low oil production.

The bank further added that it moved Nigeria out of the ‘overweight’ category due to its fiscal woes amid a worsening global risk backdrop that has raised market concerns despite a positive oil environment.

On the other hand, JPMorgan replaced Nigeria in the list with Serbia and Uzbekistan in the ‘overweight’ category. According to Reuters, JPMorgan included Serbia in the category due to the country’s high reserves and a fiscally cautious government. At the same time, Uzbekistan was added to the category due to the country’s relatively low debt despite Russian exposure.

The bank analysts also revealed that the Emerging Markets Bond Index Global Diversified, EMBIGD, index had dropped 16% this year, “with most of the losses having come from rates” and $4 billion in net outflows from emerging markets since mid-April.

They noted that riskier sovereign yields were now 10.6%, the highest level since the first wave of the coronavirus pandemic in April 2020, reducing market access and increasing the risk of debt defaults.

CERTAINLY, Good journalism costs a lot of money. Without doubt, only good journalism can ensure the possibility of a good society, an accountable democracy, and a transparent government. We are ready to hold every corrupt government accountable to the citizens. To continually enjoy free access to the best investigative journalism in Nigeria, we are requesting of you to consider making a modest support to this noble endeavor.”

By contributing to NAIJA STANDARD NEWSPAPER, you are helping to sustain a journalism of relevance and ensuring it remains free and available to all without fear or favor.

Your donation is voluntary — please decide how much and how often you want to give. For offline donation, email: letters@nigeriastandardnewspaper.com or call +2348037128048 (Nigeria) or +16825834890 (United States of America)

[pff-paystack id=