@ 4 play

I couldn't have put it better my self
i also heard that transcorp got a substantial loan using as collateral, wait for it, an oil block with no proven or unproven reseves!!
what kind of bank does business like that?!
Even proven oil reserves are not that reliable not to talk of unproven
I smell a rat

but as @kingzy said
business is all about risk

I've been investing on the NSE for a couple of years now and have made some really tidy sums. If  you're interested in investing, look for a company with strong fundamentals -- management, market share, brands that are leaders in their respective segments, growth potential and of course, solid financial track record. And most importantly, DO YOUR OWN RESEARCH!!!

Transcorp lacks all  of these. Infact I wouldn't touch those shares at all. Besides there are far more outstanding opportunities.

Just by way of info, see http://www.tmcnet.com/usubmit/2006/12/04/2136441.htm for some news on transcorp. And I do agree with the writer's views.

windy-wendy, THE REPORTER,we don hear ,thank you.

You're welcome my broda!!

My take on transcorp; It is at the moment ideal for people with a very high risk level, if u are a risk averter dont even bother because the ups and downs of transcorp mite kill you.Secondly it is a long term stock , if you look at their prospectus,they actually projected a loss for the first two years of operation meaning they also foresee several imbalances and turbulence.This means its not for short term players.In conlusion, Transcorp could go either ways, u could loose ur money or make double but personally i think it will weather the storm in the long run and i particularly like their several streams of income which would not materialize immediately.
My advise, DONT BUY TRANSCORP WITH BORROWED FUNDS, BUY TRANSCORP IF U HAVE A HIGH RISK LEVEL, DONT BUY TRANSCORP WITH AN INTENTION OF MAKING RETURNS IN THE SHORT RUN.
SELLAH!

Food for Thought - - - -

When I read the news that Mubadala will be acquiring a highly lucrative spectrum license for $400 million, what struck me was how mute everyone has been. Is it a fair deal? Could there be other Nigerian players behind the scene?. But no.  No comment.  Afterall, it's a foreign owned company, hence it's generally ok. Had a visible Nigerian company / entity put this deal together,  everyone would have cried foul,  The manipulation of minds by our semi-literate politicians and elites would have gone into full gear,  a programme of disinformation via the press would have been commissioned , 

A foreign company tried to buy Nicon Hilton for $50 Million four years ago. They won the bid, but couldn't come up with the cash. No comment. Any price is right for a foreign domicled company. TransCorp paid $105 million two years later, and that was suddenly classed  a giveaway.

In a strange way, I can't help but wonder if we really are hung-over from slavery.  We are certainly in self-destruct mode. I watch the do-or-die attitude amongst our politicians with trepedation. I watch the desperate pursuit of power and money by our elites, even at the expense of the survival of our nation, and wonder,  I wonder. . . . .

@oshkosh,

Its the inferiority complex that eaten to so deep into us. Anything foreign is OKAY.

I believe it a good idea to invest in stocks but i will not want those that are fresh in it to run into problems. I will advice that as a beginner you should play safe and invest in those stocks that have a good track record. You need to study the firm well before you buy thier stocks. Some of us who bought Oando plc. shares at N97 do not have any cause to be happy because for over a year now that stock has not gone up to N90, it's been hovering in the 60's and 70's. Right now it is N72.11. Since this, I don't just look at how the stock is performing but also at the constitution of it's management team.

@cuppcake,
1. When is Dangote Sugar going to be listed on the NSE.
2. What do you think about the stocks of merger banks like Skye bank, Firstinland, Springbank and sterling bank, they have no previous records, how can one judge their prospects?
3. What is the story behind NAHCO?

Hello all. New to this forum but found it quite interesting.

To answer your question, from the time table, dangote shares should be listed by the end of march. On the merger issue, these banks actually have pre-merger performance records and actually have long time prospects. I wouldn't advise you go into any of them for the short term except if you have experience in trading and have developed your own trading system.

Regarding NAHCO, i don't have the slightest idea why it's rallying for now but I'll definitely let you know when i do.

Good info. Thanks dumsky.

The Nigerian market undoubtedly has growth potentials in various fields, and not just on petroleum only for we have an abundance in natural resources. For me though, i would admit my skepticism in investing in the Nigerian banking industry primarily because of the innumerable con-men and women we have as bank directors in Nigeria. (Wait, wait, take a trip to a bank in Nigeria and see why, lol). With the banking industry, lets go back to the early 1990s when our country saw a lot of banks fold and corrupt CEOS fleeing the nation to foreign countries leaving shareholders at the mercy of a government who often enough is involved in it. Investors till today NEVER got all thier due proceeds back. As a matter of fact, look at the situation with J.Okocha, it took our so called papa (or is it papiluwe) of the nation; OBJ to intervene.  Go figure. I do however admire the likes of great investors like Buffet as mentioned earlier, just that , mere admiration, knowing so well that in our ONE NIGERIA and dogged business society he could be compared to our own untouchable Maradonna with various investments like the oil reserves, the shopping mall, the grand mansions, just to mention a few, and a nation of like recruits that sheepishly idolize him, everybody want to be like Mike.
             What am i saying , be wary of the risks involved in a market and study the market thoroughly rather than buy in haste because some stock broker or a friend named LUCKY said so.
             I invest in US commodities, more often that not in growth stocks, some of which are penny stocks and i must say i'm impressed with my portfolio. Now i'm not a smart a lec stock broker but and here are a few items i look out for when buying or selling a stock.

1. First, i check the 52week high and low of this company and if the company has been in existence for more than 5years i observed its peaks and surges over this time period and investigate why with reporting company news either from the company's website or via Reuters News (or some other News reporting group). I'm looking for things like merges, new products, inside trades, new CEOs, etc. Basically on what is really going on with the company focusing more on that period i'm about to buy or sell.

2. Next, who is the current CEO of this company and how long has he or she been CEO, also where is this company located and its main branch? (don't mind me, i have my reasons).

3. Then i often check the current P/E ratio of the company. This doesn't play a big factor in my decision to buy or not to buy but you'ld want to know about the managment of this company and what investors think of it. If this ratio is very low it suggest that the company has poor growth potential, meaning less returns for your money.

4.  Then i observe how that company has performed compared to other companies in the same line of business over a period of time.

Use these few tips and you'll be fine , remember though THEY say that great investors are big time risk takers. Take care.

Hi everyone, I am new to this forum,,,but I love the ideas you guys share, I have been in the stockmarket biz for over a year now,,and I must say I have made more profit than losses,,,,

My target this year is to make at least 40% of my Investment in any stock I investing on.

Here are some links that will help on daily stock prices and tips:

http://www.zenithbank.com/pricelist.cfm

http://ibtc.research.com

i have a very simple question. has dividends for the last zenith ipo been shared plz i'd like someone to plz tell me thnx

I have noticed that the price of shares of many quoted coys rises towards the end of their financial year( I stand to be corrected). Believe it will help us to know when and when not to buy .Can we get the months that ends the financial yr of the quoted coys. Send in the ones you know.
Intercontinental=June/July
First bank= June/July

If you visit the website www.counterstrust.com and subscribe to their daily updates, you'll be able to get the financial year end for all quoted companies on the exchange.
I don't think dividends for the alst zenith IPO has been distributed but i stand to be corrected.

@okejazz: From my understanding of P/E ratios, the lower the ratio the better and not the reverse(at least from most articles on stock broking). Just in case i didn't get your information right.

Happy investing,

thanks

Hi Kinzy, Here are the Year End of the Quoted Companies of NSE



YEAR END DATES OF QUOTED COMPANIES
Security Year End Auditor
7UP 3-31 n/a
ABATEX 3-31 n/a
ABOSELAB 3-31 n/a
ACADEMY 12-31 n/a
ACCESS 3-31 n/a
ADC 12-31 n/a
ADSWITCH 12-31 n/a
AFEXBANK 3-31 n/a
AFPRINT 3-31 n/a
AFRIBANK 3-31 n/a
AFRPAINTS 12-31 n/a
AGIP 12-31 n/a
AGLEVENT 12-31 n/a
AIICO 12-31 n/a
ALEX 12-31 n/a
ALUMACO 12-31 n/a
AMICABLE 12-31 n/a
AP 12-31 n/a
ARBICO 12-31 n/a
ASABATEX 12-31 n/a
ASHAKACEM 12-31 n/a
ATLANTICBK 6-30 n/a
AVONCROWN 3-31 n/a
BAICO 12-31 n/a
BCC 12-31 n/a
BCN 12-31 n/a
BERGER 12-31 n/a
BETAGLAS 12-31 n/a
BOCGAS 9-30 n/a
CADBURY 12-31 n/a
CAP 12-31 n/a
CAPALBETO 3-31 n/a
CAPOIL 12-31 n/a
CCNN 12-31 n/a
CFAO 12-31 n/a
CHAMPION 12-31 n/a
CHARTERED 3-31 n/a
CHELLARAM 3-31 n/a
CILEASING 1-31 n/a
CONFDINS 9-30 n/a
CONOIL 12-31 n/a
COOPBANK 3-31 n/a
COOPDEV 12-31 n/a
CORNERST 12-31 n/a
COSTAIN 3-31 n/a
CRUSADER 12-31 n/a
CUTIX 4-30 n/a
DNMEYER 12-31 n/a
DTIMES 12-31 n/a
DUMEZ 12-1 n/a
DUNLOP 12-31 n/a
ECOBANK 12-31 n/a
EKOBANK 5-31 n/a
EKOCORP 12-31 n/a
ENAMELWA 9-30 n/a
ENPEE 3-31 n/a
EPICDYNAM 12-31 n/a
ETERNAOIL 12-31 n/a
EVANSMED 12-31 n/a
FBN (MERCHANT BANKERS) LIMITED 3-31 n/a
FIRSTALUM 12-31 n/a
FIRSTBANK 3-31 n/a
FLOURMILL 3-31 n/a
FOOTWEAR 12-31 n/a
FSB 3-31 n/a
GCAPPA 3-31 n/a
GLAXOSMITH 12-31 n/a
GOLDBREW 3-31 n/a
GROMMAC 12-31 n/a
GUARANTY 2-28 n/a
GUINEAINS 12-31 n/a
GUINNESS 6-30 n/a
GULFBANK 2-29 n/a
HALLBANK 3-31 n/a
IMB 6-30 n/a
IMPRESIT 12-31 n/a
INCAR 12-1 n/a
INLANDBANK 3-31 n/a
INTBREW 12-31 n/a
INTERCONT 2-28 n/a
INTERLINK 6-30 n/a
INTRAMOTOR 3-31 n/a
IPWA 12-31 n/a
JBERGER 12-31 n/a
JIB 12-31 n/a
JOHNHOLT 9-30 n/a
JULI 12-1 n/a
LASACO 12-31 n/a
LAWUNION 12-31 n/a
LENNARDS 9-30 n/a
LIBERTY 3-31 n/a
LIONBANK 3-31 n/a
LIVESTOCK 3-31 n/a
LONGMAN 12-31 n/a
MANNYBANK 3-31 n/a
MAYBAKER 12-31 n/a
MBENEFITS 12-31 n/a
MNS 3-31 n/a
MOBIL 12-31 n/a
MORISON 12-31 n/a
NAL 6-30 n/a
NAMPAK 3-31 n/a
NASCON 12-31 n/a
NB 12-31 n/a
NBC 12-31 n/a
NCR 12-31 n/a
NEIMETH 3-31 n/a
NEM 12-31 n/a
NESTLE 12-31 n/a
NIGERINS 12-31 n/a
NIG-GERMAN 12-31 n/a
NIGWIRE 12-31 n/a
NIWICABLE 9-30 n/a
NNFM 3-31 n/a
OANDO 12-31 n/a
OCEANIC 9-30 n/a
OKOMUOIL 12-31 n/a
OMEGABANK 2-28 n/a
PHARMDEKO 12-31 n/a
POLYPROD 3-31 n/a
PREMBREW 3-31 n/a
PREMPAINTS 12-31 n/a
PRESCO 12-31 n/a
PRESTIGE 12-31 n/a
PZ 5-31 n/a
REGENTBANK 3-31 n/a
ROADS 3-31 n/a
ROYALEX 12-31 n/a
RTBRISCOE 12-31 n/a
SAVANNA 3-31 n/a
SCOA 12-31 n/a
SECASSURE 12-31 n/a
SMURFIT 12-31 n/a
STDINSURE 12-31 n/a
STUDPRESS 12-31 n/a
TEXACO 12-31 n/a
TIB 12-31 n/a
TOTAL 12-31 n/a
TOWERGATE 12-31 n/a
TRADEBANK 12-31 n/a
TRANSEXPR 12-31 n/a
TRIPPLEG 3-31 n/a
UACN 12-31 n/a
UAC-PROP 12-31 n/a
UBA 3-31 n/a
UBN 3-31 n/a
UNIC 12-31 n/a
UNILEVER 12-31 n/a
UNIONDICON 7-31 n/a
UNIONVENT 12-31 n/a
UNTL 12-31 n/a
UPL 3-31 n/a
UTB 3-31 n/a
UTC 12-31 n/a
VANLEER 12-31 n/a
VITAFOAM 9-30 n/a
VONO 12-31 n/a
WAGLASS 12-31 n/a
WAMCO 12-31 n/a
WAPCO 12-31 n/a
WAPIC 2-28 n/a
WEMABANK 3-31 n/a
WTN 12-31 n/a
ZENITHBANK 6-30 n/a

hi guys,

For a list of high quality online investment sites, visit http://www.karakataonline.com/investing.html
For the longest list of nigerian stockbroker websites, visit http://www.karakataonline.com/stockbrokers.html

good luck.

Hello people,

Please does anyone know of a free software that tracks shares/stocks, (if any free one exists), Suggestions about non-free software would also be appreciated.

Thanks Y'all

Hi,

What are the risks in using small independent stockbrokers, as opposed to the IBTCs and other large firms?

The major advantage the small brokers have is that they'll accept small amounts as deposit for investment in shares. However they charge higher than the recommend 4.06025% o f the proceeds as commision and charges. Some even collect money to verify certificates. They are also prone to delaying your money with excuses of not having sold the shares.
The big companies especially the ones owned by banks dont deal with small accounts. They stick to the recommended charges and offer prompt services.
So if you have the big bucks go for the big brokers.

Yep, Frank is absolutely right. In addition, with the big ones, you can check your account online, and some like mine (counterstrust) send daily market updates and analyses and other weekly reports that can help you to analyze different stocks. Also, when there is news on any of the stocks that I own, they send me an email if they think the news will impact my decision to hold or sell. Also, whenever I do have excess funds, they invest it at their call rate. The rate is not very much (about 6 - 8%), but it's much better than leaving it idle, and is available to me immediately I spot an investment opportunity and decide to buy.

If you ask me, that's definitely service worth paying for.

@ windywendy
How much is the minimum deposit accepted by your brokers.
Also what are thier charges.
I am shopping for a new broker and I think I like what you've said so far about Countertrust

Minimum deposit they accept is N1million.

Charges are as follows:
Purchases
 
S/N  Charge  Description 
1  Broker's Commission  See breakdown below 
2  SEC fee  1% of consideration 
3  Stamp duty  0.075% of consideration 
4  Value Added Tax (VAT)  5% of broker's commission 
5  CSCS  0.1% of consideration 

Sale
 
S/N  Charge  Description 
1  Broker's Commission  See breakdown below 
2  NSE fee  0.65% of consideration 
3  CSCS fee  0.45% of consideration 
4  Stamp duty  0.075% of consideration 
5  Value Added Tax (VAT)  5% of broker's commission 

Consideration refers to the price of the shares purchased, i.e. unit price times the quantity of shares purchased. Furthermore, broker's commission is graduated as follows:

Minimum Commission - N50
First N250,000 - 2.75% of consideration.
Next N250,000 - 2.50% of consideration.
Next N500,000 - 2.25% of consideration.
Next N2,000,000 - 2.00% of consideration.
Next N2,000,000 - 1.5% of consideration.
N5,000,000 and above - 1.00% of consideration.

I actually took this off their website (http://counterstrust.com/faqs.asp) , but it's the same like they charge. In addition, there's the recently introduced 5% VAT on the NSE and CSCS fee when one makes a sale -- that one I think was instituted by the NSE.

In addition to all of the above fees, they also collect like N1k for share certificate verification (I've never had to pay that, but I think they just introduced it because I got an email to that effect like 2-3days ago). I can also check my share verification status online and view my CSCS statement online as well. For someone who's based outside the country, this service is invaluable as I don't have to be making several phone calls to follow up on stuff.

It was actually instituted by the Federal inland revenue service. The brokers and market regulators are still making effort to get FIRS to rescind its decision to make the market regulators pay VAT. If the tax remains then it will mean that the total recommended charges will move uo to about 4.1175% per transaction.

My current brokers dont charge for verification of shares.
But they sometimes delay in paying executing deals . That's my only grouse with them.
Imagine some who buys 1000units of transcorp and wants to verify the certificate. He would need to get a return of at least 19% to breakeven over the cost of share verification and commission.
No matter how big a broker is I wont deal with any one that charges for share verification.

i never invested in stocks b4,but i have been learning a lot from here ,so i would like to know what u mean by excess funds and also what is the meaning of call rates ?

The excess funds i would guess is the balance in the investors account after an order has been executed and the call rate is the interest paid for investing the money. Brilliant idea i must add. Kindly correct me if i'm wrong.

By the way, Counterstrust now requires a minimum of N5million and not N1million to open an account with them. This can be verified from their website. It used to be a million.

If you've got spare cash for investing, i'd advice you pick up UBA shares before the register closes on the 22nd of january. Not only will you get a dividend of N1 per share and a bonus of 1 for every 5 shares, you also stand to reap from capital appreciation and the stock will most likely continue it's upward rally even after it's price adjustment for dividend and bonus payments because it's first quarter results just released is fantastic.

dumsky i got what u mean by the excess fund ,but this call rate i still dont get it quite ,could you plz explain with more details , this my okoro brain self

Guys,
What are your recommendations about Afrinvest (Previously known as Sectrust),
They Charge N1000 for share verification, and the fees are kind of similar to Contertrust, but the minimum is N500k outside, any protfolio you might already have,

what do you think?