Nigeria, March 17 -- Nigerian stocks retreated by 0.6 per cent last week, following sell pressure on bank, oil & gas and industrial goods stocks.

With the audited financial reports of four of the Big 5 banks due before the end of the month, analysts are betting that stronger dividend declaration by the lenders could help drive gains in the short term.

"The equities market is expected to maintain its positive momentum as investors continue to position themselves ahead of the FY-2024 earnings season and possible corporate action declarations," said analysts at United Capital in their outlook for the week.

"Nevertheless, given the elevated interest rate environment in the fixed-income market, we still expect bearish sentiments to linger i...