In these times of economic uncertainty and instability, looking for additional means of income is essential for your financial security. Thankfully, this has become more feasible and doable thanks to the rise of digital technologies and the Internet. The online trading market has seen a gradual increase globally over the years with the advent of user-friendly platforms and cost-effective trading options.
For online trading specifically, the African region has recently emerged as a market of untapped potential with space for further growth. Notably, Nigeria leads the charge in African online trading, supported by its population of over 200 million. Among the many common means of trading and investment is indices trading. By trading indices, retail investors can access company stocks in global markets by speculating on indexes instead of directly buying shares or stocks. In this post, we’ll look at the indices trading landscape of Africa and how traders can benefit from accessing African and global markets:
Fintech and trading platforms
As mentioned above, Africa has seen a rapid proliferation of financial technologies in recent years. As a result, the continent is rapidly becoming its own fintech hub. By the middle of the decade, nearly half a billion Africans will have access to mobile internet, allowing access to financial services like electronic payments. Today, over 184 million mobile money wallets are actively used across Africa.
As a result of increased access to financial services via mobile and digital platforms, there needs to be a conscious effort from institutions like schools, financial institutions, and mobile money operators to boost financial literacy and, subsequently, the region’s economic mobility.
While there are many avenues for achieving financial literacy and education today, many fintech platforms and solutions are also geared toward educating users. Online trading platforms allow their users to trade indices and other financial instruments and commodities while offering a host of built-in features to make trading easier and more accessible. Many trading platforms provide access to highly-traded global indices, such as the US Tech 100 and the S&P 500, with low and stable spread and features like stop-out protection to protect investments against volatility. These platforms also often provide an online community where users can interact or learn from more advanced traders.
The impact of sociopolitical and economic events
Aside from relying on financial technologies, however, traders and investors should also be up-to-date with local and global economic events that impact price movements. For indices trading, factors affecting prices include economic reports and how well companies within an index are doing. At the same time, technical and external factors such as inflation can also impact the performance of your index.
You can speculate on price movements and adjust your trading strategy accordingly by keeping track of sociopolitical and economic events relevant to the sectors in which you trade indices.
For example, in Nigeria, the stock market recently saw the Nigerian Exchange Limited’s All-Share Index surge to an all-time high, shattering the 70,000 point barrier. This surge was impacted by gains in medium- and large-capitalized stocks from companies such as Airtel Africa, Zenith Bank, and Cadbury Nigeria. At the same time, the Nigerian stock market has been on an uptrend since the introduction of the new administration led by President Bola Tinubu. The new administration recently implemented necessary reforms, such as removing fuel subsidies and liberalizing the foreign exchange market, boosting investor confidence.
Diversifying your investment portfolio
Finally, we detailed Africa’s trade and economic development in a previous post. Over the years, the region’s economic development has improved living standards, fostered sustainable growth, and reduced poverty. One of the factors driving economic growth in Africa is the increased market access to international demographics, allowing African businesses to expand their customer base and African traders to diversify their investments. The growth of industries such as manufacturing and agribusiness also opens up opportunities for commodities trading and further diversification.
Diversifying your portfolio is generally good trading practice but is especially recommended for low-risk traders who don’t want to risk putting all their eggs in one basket. Instead of directly purchasing shares and stocks of specific companies, investors can access a broader range of securities in a market segment. This reduces the impact of individual stock fluctuations on investments and can help minimize losses.
Additionally, indices are typically much more likely to recover from a downturn than individual stocks. While this isn’t a guaranteed fact, previous charts indicate some reassurance. At best, indices trading is also an excellent option for long-term investors who intend to stay in the fund for some time so that it can recover in case of dips in performance.
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