After six consecutive days of decline, transactions on the trading floor of the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) was on the upbeat yesterday, following price gains recorded by most blue-chip stocks, as market capitalisation increased by N196 billion.

Yesterday, price gainers outweighed losses for the first time this week, as 29 stocks appreciated in price while 28 constituted the losers’ chart.

Specifically, Mobil topped the gainers’ chart with N7.70 kobo t close at N184.00 per share while GlaxoSmithKline followed with N2.25 kobo to close at N24.30 per share.

Founder of Microsoft, Bill Gates, and Nigerian Industrialist, Aliko Dangote, will attend a special session of the National Economic Council, NEC, chaired by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo on Thursday at the Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa, Abuja. A press release by the Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Office of the Vice President, Laolu Akande, said the special session is line with the Buhari administration’s Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP) for inclusive growth and human development.

The Federal Government allotted N64.06 billion bonds in its March auction, as against the N70 billion earlier planned, the Debt Management Office (DMO) said. The result of the auction obtained from the DMO website on Thursday in Abuja, showed that the debt office sold N10.05 billion in five-year bonds at 13.40 per cent, and N45.10 billion in 10-year bonds at 13.60 per cent.

The House of Representatives, on Wednesday, finally passed the bill for an Act to Provide for the Governance and Institutional Framework for the Petroleum Industry and for other related matters, through third reading.

The bill, which seeks to unbundle the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), provides for the establishment of Federal Ministry of Petroleum Incorporated; Nigerian Petroleum Regulatory Commission; Nigerian Petroleum Assets Management Company, and National

Petroleum Company and Petroleum Equalisation Fund.

Trading on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) on Thursday closed on a positive note after dropping for six consecutive days, with the All-Share improving by 0.33 per cent. The index rose by 138.36 points or 0.33 per cent to close at 41,633.79, against 41,495.43 achieved on Wednesday.

Teleology Holdings wednesday beat the deadline stipulated under the bid process for the acquisition of 9mobile by paying a $50 million non-refundable deposit for Nigeria's fourth largest network operator.

Teleology, which emerged the preferred bidder for the 9mobile transaction on February 21, was given till today to pay the non-refundable deposit, failing which Barclays Africa, the transaction adviser, would have invited the reserve bidder, Smile Telecoms Holdings, to takeover 9mobile.

Aisha Buhari, wife of the President on Thursday officially commissioned Cedar Crest Hospital, the health facility that saved her son's life after a power bike crash around Gwarimpa, Abuja. Speaking at the event, Aisha Buhari commended the 90-bed hospital sited in Abuja’s Apo District and health practitioners working in the facility for saving her son’s life after the crash.

President Muhammadu Buhari has approved that negotiation should be carried out for 15 billion dollars loan for the completion of work on the Port Harcourt – Maiduguri rail project. The Minister of Transportation, Mr Rotimi Ameachi, made this known when he briefed State House correspondents after a closed door meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

The Nigerian Navy on Thursday said it has deployed four warships and two helicopters to patrol the entire Gulf of Guinea in an exercise codenamed "Obangame". The NN Chief of Transformation, Rear Admiral Begroy Ibe- Enwo who made this known in an interview with newsmen said the deployment was aside numerous gunboats that were earlier deployed for the exercise which has 26 countries, including America, Britain, France and Portugal participating.

Nigeria’s Minister of Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun, has said that the country’s economic outlook for 2018 and beyond was positive. Kemi Adeosun Adeosun, disclosed this at the 4th Ogun State Investors Forum in Abeokuta, which had in attendance Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, Governor Ibikunle Amosun of Ogun State, former Mexican President, Mr. Felipe Calderone, and eminent persons and captains of industry.