Diary of a Job Hunter: Oil and Gas
Fish got an invite for an Oil and Gas job, See what he finds there!
Enjoyed the video? Learn more >>
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Watch the trailer: Diary of a Job Hunter
Watch the trailer: Diary of a Job Hunter
Showing every friday and featuring Fish Entertainer, the “Diary of a job Hunter” is an online series that captures the experiences of job seekers in their quest to land their dream job.
Stay tuned for the premiere on August 4!
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Source: Job Hunter
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Now that NYSC Orientation Camp is Over, you are one step closer to getting your NYSC certificate!
Here are a few things you should focus on doing in the next couple of weeks.
Word of advice: The earlier you complete the process, the better! See more career tips here
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Source: Realising Ambitions
We want you to know that now is the time to look at the equity investment. Trends show the market is about to rebound and the value of stocks are about to go way up. Invest now while prices are low to make big gains in coming future.
2016 – The Year that Was
2016 was a turbulent year for Nigeria and the domestic investment clime. The Nigerian economy went into recession, inflation spiked to a 12-year peak of 18.57% and the naira lost over 50% of its value at the interbank ($305/N) with the case in the parallel market even more precarious. Irrespective, for Nigeria’s broad financial market, the year was a mixed one. On the one hand, the Nigerian equities market closed negative for the third consecutive year (-6.14%) and FI yields climbed to 4-year highs under the weight of downbeat economic data even as Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) tightened monetary policy. Yet, opportunities abounded for few investors who cherry-picked within Nigeria’s cheap equity valuations and attractive entry points at the treasury markets. That said, expected upside at the equity space was not for the near term as investors concerned themselves with the country’s economic deterioration and implied pass-through to company earnings. Sentiment for equities was further worsened by foreign apathy on account of FX illiquidity and local investors’ attraction to higher risk-free rates which endeared them to the bond market. In a word, a confluence of bad news, capital losses and uncertainty ushered in panic in the streets. Investors had to ask themselves, is this stock market decline the beginning of something worse? Should we all sell and seek safety? Market was buying high and selling low, almost everyone was losing money in stocks. Unfortunately, when it comes to stock investing, going along with the crowd—buying when the market is up and selling when the market is down—can lead to costly mistakes. A better strategy during the turbulent times, when many are turning their backs on stocks, is to leverage on cheap equity investment valuations —a virtue seen only by a few at the time.
Study the past to define the future
On the strength of historical data, equities market can be considered ‘the king of good times’. This is because the market does not only anticipate good times well ahead but also tends to rise (faster) as the economy recovers. Put simply, the stock market mirrors expectations about the economy well ahead of time in such a fashion that allows active and calculative investors make capital gains to increase their overall net worth.
In Nigeria, for instance, the stock market performance has been firmly correlated with crude oil price expectations, external reserve, and exchange rate. Pointedly, with crude oil exports representing circa. 70% and 90% of fiscal and export revenues respectively, it is not surprising the level of correlation expected between the economy and crude oil price or production shocks. Elsewhere, foreign inflows into equity are also determined by future expectations about external reserve and overall exchange rate stability as foreigners concern themselves with relative ease of entry and exit.
So far, signs of economic improvements has guided our view that Nigeria will exit recession this year. The OPEC-led production cut has also raised crude prices globally to ~$52.5/barrel (vs 2016 average of $45.1/barrel). On the domestic production front, contraction in crude output have sizably shrank following improved government conciliation and an increase in government amnesty provision. This is even as force majeure on the nation’s largest export terminal (Trans Forcados) was lifted in May. The foregoing has thus driven improved revenue picture for the FG with expected rise in dollar influx expected to sustain FX liquidity in the near term. On the back of these, the equities market has rallied 22.72% YTD with more prospect for further upside.
Wouldn’t you rather Invest now?
Before you start here, always remember stock prices are all about future earnings. Thus, with bullish economic and financial performance almost upon us, what the investment pros must be pricing in should be much rosier. Therefore, maximizing gains in the stock market requires looking past what’s about to happen and taking position in the market based on expectations of future performance. Earnings are about to come back into focus as second quarter reporting season gets set to kick off. Expectations are elevated. Investors may be hoping for more of a speed boat look to economic growth, but we believe that pontoon speed, while not exciting, is likely to be more beneficial to keeping the bull market going.
At ARM, we continue to build as well as prune our list of stocks. We pay specific attention to those with solid fundamentals or those that are unfairly being dragged down by the rest of the market—a case of “throwing the baby out with the bathwater.” These dislocations become widespread as many investors choose to flee or sell low during a correction rather than focus on the subsequent recovery. Having applied our framework, we stuck with our portfolio tilt towards stocks and we were net buyers of stocks in 2016 and, testament to our diligence, our funds benefited from the market rebound. Specifically, there is a strong correlation between the stock market and our Aggressive fund, due to its higher equity allocation (80-100%). The equity fund has constantly outperformed the market during periods of recovery or rebound.
The post When It Rains, It Pours: The case for Equity Investment appeared first on Realising Ambitions.
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In today’s cut-out of our core strategy document – The Nigeria Strategy Report, we review developments in African Economies: Sub Saharan Africa as well as in North African climes over H1 17. The section also provides insights on what we believe will be major drivers of both growth and overall investor sentiment for the rest of the year.
Given recently released data and forecast, Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is on course for a modest recovery in 2017 led by ongoing recoveries in some of its major economies. Specifically, powerhouse constituent—Nigeria—posted its slowest GDP contraction in four quarters in Q1 17 (-0.5% YoY) following slower contraction in crude production (Q1 17: -11% YoY to 1.83mbpd) and currency-led rebound in non-oil GDP (YoY: Q1 17: +0.7%) while its balance of trade extended its surplus position to a second consecutive quarter. In similar vein, the Angolan economy leveraged the OPEC-induced crude price rally to a position of relative comfort in Q1 17 with its government reportedly ramping up spending ahead of the country’s election in the period.
Elsewhere, growth picture in North Africa remained largely mixed with recent recovery in Tunisia and Morocco at one extreme. The recent growths in Tunisia and Morocco were supported by increases in mining/phosphate production, agriculture, and tourism as well as surge in agricultural output. In Egypt, the economy is believed to have expanded 3.9% YoY in Q1 17 (vs. 3.8% YoY in Q4 16) as influx of investment capital greeted the country’s tilt to currency floatation towards the close of last year.
On balance, the IMF projects improvements in current account balances across SSA in 2017 following recovery in commodity prices with SSA oil exporters in pole position to benefit. Of note, OPEC’s nine-month extension of its November’s production cut deal appears to have provided a much-needed relief to SSA oil exporters in the form of higher export proceeds. This should be aided by pass-through from gradual implementation of pro-market policies in climes such as Nigeria, wherein improvements in FX liquidity have been observed following the introduction of the IEW and its apex bank’s sustained sales of dollars at all segments of the market. Irrespective, current growth expectation for the region is less sanguine relative to predictions in January with the IMF cutting its SSA growth forecast 20bps to align with World Bank’s estimate of 2.6% YoY over 2017.
In North Africa, Egypt’s pro-market policies appear to be generating desired responses from portfolio investors as well with the March influx into the country’s bond market a case in point. This is even as Morocco leverages on its resurging agriculture which has already underpinned its strong growth in Q1 17. Thus, although patches of weaknesses are still expected in Libya and Algeria, mean growth in North Africa should remain strong in 2017.
Nobody wants to deal with bad debts, but unfortunately, it is a very common phenomenon. You’d be surprised to find out how many people you know struggle to manage their bad debts but with a change in attitude and the right strategies in place, a debt-free lifestyle is achievable.
Make up your mind to stay out of debt: Many people fall into debt because they spend above and beyond their means, living from salary to salary with barely enough to pay the bills. They can’t afford to pay for hang outs on Fridays, the new clothes that go with it, or the movie after. Yet, they continue to spend towards these outings every weekend.
The honest, painful truth is that if you don’t have the money for these things, you should not be doing them. Learning to be satisfied with your limitations is difficult but it is the critical first step to achieving a debt-free life.
Lay out your financial map: Understand exactly how much you make; your net income preferably. Understand how much it costs to run your life. Write down every expense and see where your money is going. List your debts from smallest to biggest, and attack the smallest ones first while making minimum payments on the rest. Avoid consolidating loans and similar methods of getting out of debt.
Keep your lifestyle in check: Don’t go on a spending spree because you got a new job. Look for ways to earn extra money and pay pf any existing debts you may have.
Once you learn to live within your means and have your debt under control, life will be much easier, and hopefully you’ll never return to the dreadful waters of too much debt.
“Debt is like any other trap, easy enough to get into but hard to get out of” – Henry Wheeler Shaw
Stay tuned on this blog for more tips.
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Source: Blog
Like most NYSC corpers, you probably don’t know where to start but that’s okay, we’ve got some useful tips on how to boost your chances of getting that great job!
You Need A Great CV: Employers go through a lot of CVs so yours will need to stand out. Choose a template that is organized and easy to read. It is also important to tailor your CV to match the job you are seeking by including any relevant experience and extra curricular activities. Please don’t copy and paste from the internet. Employers will know!
Search In The Right Places: Google is your friend! There are so many recruitment sites online, but don’t put your eggs in just one basket (no matter how big it may be). It usually helps to know exactly the career path you want to take. This way, your applications can be specific and heartfelt. Be honest with yourself. Employers can tell when you just want a quick salary rather than a job for the long term.
Network: We all joke about how you have to have connections to get anywhere in Nigeria and frankly speaking, it is true. It’s not necessarily about “having connections’’, most times it’s about having people that can vouch for your work or someone that knows of an opening somewhere and refers you. Either way, it’s nice to have firsthand information about opportunities and that comes from knowing people. Your network is your greatest asset at this point, so don’t be afraid to use it by asking people you know for help.
Think Outside The Box: Like we said earlier, know what you want. Don’t forget that there are other opportunities outside the walls of a corporate organization. Some of us were born to be entrepreneurs, diplomats, entertainers etc. and sometimes your business idea may be so good that you can get funding for it. So think big and start small and in no time, you might just be the one collecting CVs instead of sending yours out. Good luck!
For more “post NYSC ” career advice, follow us on social media @armengage. Also, when you get that job, sign up for a pension plan.
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Nigeria Strategy Report – After bullish run, portfolio flows to EM look set to moderate.
In today’s cut-out of our core strategy document – The Nigeria Strategy Report, we review developments pertaining to the direction of FPI flows across developed and emerging markets. In addition to delineating the drivers of portfolio flows over H1 17, this section presents our outlook on drivers of FPI flows over the rest of the year.
According to the Institute of International Finance (IIF), net portfolio flows sustained its positive trend for the seventh consecutive month in June 2017, with combined flows of $121 billion over H1 17 being five-fold higher YoY. The strong capital flows emerged despite three rate hikes in the US and political worries in Britain, as investors cheered the strong economic picture across Emerging markets. Against the backdrop of improved fundamentals, which lessened default risk, foreign demand for local denominated fixed income instruments also tracked higher.
Across the various regions, EM Asia witnessed improved portfolio inflow following investors reassessment of India’s growth prospect while portfolio outflows from China reduced against the backdrop of better than expected economic growth, monetary tightening and capital control curbs implemented in 2016. Over in Latin America, capital flows continued to exit the Brazilian economy (January to May 17: -$1.8 billion) against the backdrop of lingering economic recession , lower interest rate and rising political instability. Emerging Market Europe witnessed higher portfolio inflows (+80% QoQ to $54 billion) in Q1 17 largely reflecting favourable economic picture across member countries. Over in the Middle East and North African (MENA) region, Egypt concluded its largest public bond issuance, a multi tranche bond of $4 billion, in January and an additional $3 billion in May 2017.
After two years of reticence, foreign investors’ appetite for Sub-Sahara Africa’s (SSA) assets appear to have improved following the upswing in commodity prices. The rebound is expected to bolster economic recovery, narrow the widening trade deficit and by extension stabilise the frail currencies in the region. Largely reflecting these improved fundamentals, Eurobond issuances across SSA rebounded strongly (+133% YoY to $3.5 billion) over H1 17 with Cote D’Ivoire, Nigeria and Senegal’s offer been oversubscribed by 4x, 8x and 8x times respectively.
Going into the second half of the year, the demand for EM equities is expected to remain strong amidst expectation of improving growth prospects. However, the outlook for capital flows to EM debt is less sanguine. The expected slowdown in FPI flows to EM debt instrument is set against the backdrop of anticipated decline in commodity prices, which should increase the vulnerabilities of resource-rich countries, as well as an increasingly divergent outlook on global monetary policy.
On balance, we expect the impact of hawkish monetary policy outlook in the US as well as the UK, aided by the rising spate of political uncertainties across the various regions, to moderate growth induced rise in portfolio flows to EM markets.
In this Economic Update report suggests that debt service is likely to exceed government’s target for the second year running.
Budget 2017: Higher financing to trump revenue gain:
Acting President, Yemi Osinbajo, signed the 2017 budget into law on the 19th of June. The budget tagged ‘Budget of Recovery and Growth’ proposed a 23% YoY expansion in aggregate expenditure to N7.44trillion split into: non-debt recurrent expenditure (N2.99trillion), capital expenditure (N2.17trillion) and debt service (N1.84trillion) with N434.41billion as allocation to Statutory Transfers and N177.46billion for Sinking Fund from maturing bonds. Given our expectation for crude production and our revised crude price forecast, we estimate FG’s share of oil revenue at N1.9trillion. The foregoing, combined with non-oil revenue estimate of N1.6trillion suggest an FGN retained revenue of N3.5trillion (31% lower than in the proposed budget). Also, the continued reliance on more expensive local borrowing suggests that debt service is likely to exceed government’s target for the second year running. Overall, we estimate a fiscal deficit of N3.9trillion (N1.6trillion higher than proposed).
Naira Renaissance, short-term outlook remains stable:
Extending the gains from the turn of the year, the naira appreciated 2.3% MoM to N366/$ at the parallel market in June. The currency appreciation continues to reflect improved liquidity at the currency market stemming from sustained FX sales by the CBN (June 2017: $1.6billion based on our estimate) and sustained influx of portfolio flows. In particular, CBN’s directive at the start of the month for Deposit Monetary Banks (DMBs) to trade FX positions among each other without seeking its prior approval as was previously required, boosted liquidity with FX turnover at the IEW surging 38% MoM to $1.8 billion in June. Overall, reflecting increased dollar sales, the once scary premium between the parallel and interbank (70% in February 2017) has contracted to a more reasonable reading of 20% at the end of H1 17.
Sustained tightening and increased borrowing guides to elevated yield:
Similar to the prior month, the naira yield curve expanded 7bps MoM to 18.28% as a surge in Treasury Bill rates (+21bps MoM to 20.47%) more than offset modest declines at the long end of the curve (-6bps MoM to 16.09). Given improved system liquidity, we believe yield expansion at the short end of the curve reflected reduction in OMO clearing rates which touched 17.9% in the period to drive a shift in sentiment towards bond instruments. At the long end of the curve, mean marginal clearing rates declined 10bps MoM to 16.19% at the June auction. Pertinently, given FG’s posture on lowering yields at the auction even as successful diaspora issuance leaves scope for restrained domestic borrowing as the DMO cut back on its planned borrowing (-29% to N99billion).
In this Economic Update report suggests that debt service is likely to exceed government’s target for the second year running.
Budget 2017: Higher financing to trump revenue gain:
Acting President, Yemi Osinbajo, signed the 2017 budget into law on the 19th of June. The budget tagged ‘Budget of Recovery and Growth’ proposed a 23% YoY expansion in aggregate expenditure to N7.44trillion split into: non-debt recurrent expenditure (N2.99trillion), capital expenditure (N2.17trillion) and debt service (N1.84trillion) with N434.41billion as allocation to Statutory Transfers and N177.46billion for Sinking Fund from maturing bonds. Given our expectation for crude production and our revised crude price forecast, we estimate FG’s share of oil revenue at N1.9trillion. The foregoing, combined with non-oil revenue estimate of N1.6trillion suggest an FGN retained revenue of N3.5trillion (31% lower than in the proposed budget). Also, the continued reliance on more expensive local borrowing suggests that debt service is likely to exceed government’s target for the second year running. Overall, we estimate a fiscal deficit of N3.9trillion (N1.6trillion higher than proposed).
Naira Renaissance, short-term outlook remains stable:
Extending the gains from the turn of the year, the naira appreciated 2.3% MoM to N366/$ at the parallel market in June. The currency appreciation continues to reflect improved liquidity at the currency market stemming from sustained FX sales by the CBN (June 2017: $1.6billion based on our estimate) and sustained influx of portfolio flows. In particular, CBN’s directive at the start of the month for Deposit Monetary Banks (DMBs) to trade FX positions among each other without seeking its prior approval as was previously required, boosted liquidity with FX turnover at the IEW surging 38% MoM to $1.8 billion in June. Overall, reflecting increased dollar sales, the once scary premium between the parallel and interbank (70% in February 2017) has contracted to a more reasonable reading of 20% at the end of H1 17.
Sustained tightening and increased borrowing guides to elevated yield:
Similar to the prior month, the naira yield curve expanded 7bps MoM to 18.28% as a surge in Treasury Bill rates (+21bps MoM to 20.47%) more than offset modest declines at the long end of the curve (-6bps MoM to 16.09). Given improved system liquidity, we believe yield expansion at the short end of the curve reflected reduction in OMO clearing rates which touched 17.9% in the period to drive a shift in sentiment towards bond instruments. At the long end of the curve, mean marginal clearing rates declined 10bps MoM to 16.19% at the June auction. Pertinently, given FG’s posture on lowering yields at the auction even as successful diaspora issuance leaves scope for restrained domestic borrowing as the DMO cut back on its planned borrowing (-29% to N99billion).
Read more on our economic update here
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Source: Blog