Economy
Oil Prices Jump, Stocks Fall On Middle East Tensions

Oil prices surged and major stock markets mostly retreated Thursday as investors reacted to fears of widening conflict in the Middle East.
Prices jumped after US President Joe Biden said he was “discussing” possible Israeli strikes on Iranian oil sites in retaliation for Tehran’s missile barrage on Israel.
Brent, the international benchmark, surged more than five percent to $77.62 a barrel, with US contract West Texas Intermediate rising similarly.
Major US stock indices spent most of the day in the red, with the S&P 500 ending down 0.2 percent.
London, Paris and Frankfurt all closed in the red.
A strike by US dockworkers and speculation about the US Federal Reserve’s next interest rate moves also had an influence on investors, with a key employment report coming Friday.
The dollar gained, helped by its haven status, with the British pound sinking more than one percent against the greenback as Bank of England chief Andrew Bailey hinted at faster cuts to UK borrowing costs.
In Asia, Tokyo closed two percent higher as the yen eased, providing oxygen to the country’s exporters.
Hong Kong fell for the first time in more than a week, after a blistering surge fueled by China’s bold steps to stimulate its weak economy.
Iran’s missile attack on Israel this week has raised fears that Israel’s conflict with Tehran-backed groups in Gaza and Lebanon may grow into a wider regional war.
“Markets are in a state of suspense, bracing for Israel’s anticipated retaliation against Iran — a move that could catapult oil prices skyward,” said independent markets analyst Stephen Innes.
Iran, which backs Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, said it would step up its response if Israel counterattacked.
More than 1,000 people have so far been killed in the Israeli bombardment of Lebanon, which has included strikes on Beirut.
Israel’s military said Thursday it had hit Hezbollah’s intelligence headquarters in the Lebanese capital, as troops battled militants near the border and warplanes dropped bombs around the country.
Analysts, however, said oil price gains could be limited as US stockpiles rose more than expected last week while Libya’s eastern administration announced Thursday it had ended a month-long production and export blockade.
The Saudi-led OPEC+ oil cartel is due to raise production from December, further easing concerns about supply.
Investors will turn their attention to key US non-farm payroll jobs report on Friday, which could provide clues about the Fed’s plans for interest rates after last month’s first cut in four years.
Data on Wednesday showed a surprise uptick in US private sector hiring in September.
“Friday’s official payroll report will be critical, especially as markets weigh geopolitical risks against the domestic economy’s performance,” said Fawad Razaqzada, market analyst at City Index and Forex.com.
Key figures around 2030 GMT
Brent North Sea Crude: UP 5.0 percent at $77.62 per barrel
West Texas Intermediate: UP 5.2 percent at $73.71 per barrel
New York – Dow: DOWN 0.4 percent at 42,011.59 (close)
New York – S&P 500: DOWN 0.2 percent at 5,699.94 (close)
New York – Nasdaq: DOWN less than 0.1 percent at 17,918.48 (close)
London – FTSE 100: DOWN 0.1 percent at 8,282.52 (close)
Paris – CAC 40: DOWN 1.3 percent at 7,477.78 (close)
Frankfurt – DAX: DOWN 0.8 percent at 19,015.41 (close)
Tokyo – Nikkei 225: UP 2.0 percent at 38,552.06 (close)
Hong Kong – Hang Seng Index: DOWN 1.5 percent at 22,113.51 (close)
Shanghai – Composite: Closed for a holiday
Pound/dollar: DOWN at $1.3124 from $1.3266 on Wednesday
Euro/dollar: DOWN at $1.1029 from $1.1048
Euro/pound: UP at 84.03 pence from 83.26 pence
Dollar/yen: UP at 146.92 from 146.38 yen
AFP
Economy
Naira nosedives to N1,615/$ in parallel market

The naira depreciated to N1, 615 per dollar in the parallel market from N1,610 per dollar on Monday.
Likewise, the Naira depreciated to N1,602 per dollar in the Nigerian Foreign Exchange Market (NFEM).
Data published by the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, showed that the indicative exchange rate for the naira rose to N1,602 per dollar from N1,596 per dollar on Monday, indicating N6 depreciation for the naira.
Consequently, the margin between the parallel market and NFEM rate narrowed to N13 per dollar from N14 per dollar on Monday.
Economy
Stock Market Surges: N228bn Gain Sets the Tone for a Strong Trading to Week

The Nigerian stock market opened the week on a bullish note on Monday, gaining N228 billion on the Nigerian Exchange Ltd.
Market capitalisation rose by N228 billion or 0.34 per cent and closed at N66.693 trillion compared to Friday’s figure of N66.465 trillion.
Similarly, the All-Share Index (ASI) climbed by 363.57 points or 0.34 per cent, reaching 106,116.18 from 105,752.61 recorded earlier.
The Nigerian stock market opened the week on a bullish note on Monday, gaining N228 billion on the Nigerian Exchange Ltd.
Market capitalisation rose by N228 billion or 0.34 per cent and closed at N66.693 trillion compared to Friday’s figure of N66.465 trillion.
Similarly, the All-Share Index (ASI) climbed by 363.57 points or 0.34 per cent, reaching 106,116.18 from 105,752.61 recorded earlier.
The positive trend was driven by strong buying interest in medium and large-cap stocks including International Breweries, Legend Internet Plc, Cadbury Nigeria, Fidson and more.
In spite of the upward trend, the market breadth closed positively, with 47 gainers and 16 losers.
International Breweries led the gainers’ chart, rising by 10 per cent to close at N8.47 per share.
Legend Internet Plc followed, appreciating by 9.97 per cent to settle at N7.50 per share.
Cadbury Nigeria gained by 9.96 per cent, and end the day at N29.25, while Fidson rose by 9.95 per cent to close at N20.45 per share.
Eterna also advanced by 9.90 per cent to close at N43.85 per share.
On the losers’ chart, Livestock Feeds dropped by 10 per cent, closing at N8.55 per share.
Aradel Holdings declined by 9.86 per cent to end the session at N448.00 per share
Tripple Gee fell by 9.60 per cent to close at N1.79, while John Holt Plc shed 7.94 per cent to close at N5.80 per share.
Linkage Assurance lost by 6.15 per cent, and finished the day at N1.22 per share.
A total of 500.59 million shares worth N12.110 billion were traded in 17,637 transactions.
This is compared to Friday’s 428.08 million shares worth N20.174 billion, exchanged across 14,284 transactions.
Access Corporation led the activity chart with 60.867 million shares traded, which was worth N1.45 billion.
Fidelity Bank followed with 56.105 million shares valued at N1.13 billion while the United Bank for Africa sold 34.53 million shares worth N1.174 billion.
Guarantee Trust Holding Company transacted 33.49 million shares valued at N2.181 billion and the Nigerian Breweries traded 28.336 million shares, amounting to N1.15 billion.
Economy
OPay Scam Alerts advises Nigerians to remain vigilant against dubious activities

You are just seconds away from sending money – the offer sounds perfect, the seller seems trustworthy and the clock is ticking.
But just before you hit send, one of Nigeria’s leading financial institutions, OPay flashes a critical warning: “Caution – this account has been linked to suspicious activity.”
In that moment, the rush fades, your instincts kick in, and you realise you were on the brink of falling for a scam. One smart alert, one timely pause — and your hard-earned money stays exactly where it should: safe.
This is the power behind OPay’s multi-layered scam alert system — an Artificial Intelligence (AI)-driven, real-time defense network designed to detect and stop fraudulent transactions before they happen.
At the heart of it is a machine learning engine trained on thousands of scam patterns, user reports, flagged accounts, and unusual transaction behaviors. But OPay’s approach goes far beyond a single alert.
How OPay’s scam alert ecosystem works
Abnormal Transaction Pop-Up Reminders
When suspicious behavior is detected, OPay immediately interrupts the flow with a clear, targeted pop-up message. Every day, over 60,000 users receive these urgent fraud warnings — and thanks to that, 30,000 risky transactions are stopped in their tracks.
Intelligent Outbound Call Reminders
For higher-risk transactions, OPay activates a multi-channel response, sending warnings via SMS, email, app notifications, and even escalating to customer service calls. This proactive layer reaches more than 10,000 users daily, discouraging over 8,000 fraudulent transactions.
Interactive Q&A Verification
In cases where more context is needed, users are engaged with real-time Question & Answer (Q&A) prompts to understand the purpose of their transaction. If red flags are confirmed, the system presents a tailored warning or ends the transaction flow altogether. This feature alone helps deter over 46,000 scam attempts daily from the 50,000+ users who interact with it.
Together, these layers form a real-time scam detection and prevention engine that evolves with every user interaction. OPay’s system doesn’t just warn — it learns and adapts, constantly improving its accuracy and response time.
Many users don’t even know they’re in danger until OPay steps in. As one X user, @JAHS, shared: “OPay alerted me that I might be sending money to a scammer when I wanted to patronize an IG vendor. Stopped the transaction ASAP.”
These interventions are happening silently, daily – often before the user even suspects something is wrong.
OPay’s scam alert system is part of a broader philosophy: security is not just about technology – it’s about trust. From scam alerts to Face ID transaction verification, USSD instant account locking, the Large Transaction Shield, and automated callback alerts, every tool is designed to protect users in the moments they can’t predict.
As scams get more sophisticated, the future of financial safety depends on real-time prevention. And OPay isn’t waiting for fraud to happen — it’s stopping it in its tracks. Sometimes, the smartest financial decision you make… is the one OPay helped you avoid.
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