Author: Julius Alagbe

Julius Alagbe is a senior financial journalist and Editor at MarketForces Africa with nearly two decades of experience in finance, accounting, and economics reporting.He is one of Nigeria's most prolific financial market reporters, covering capital markets, monetary policy, corporate earnings, banking, telecoms, and macroeconomic developments across Africa.Julius has built a strong footprint reporting on Nigeria's leading corporates and financial services sector, including coverage of the Nigerian Exchange Group, Central Bank of Nigeria monetary operations, MTN Nigeria, GTCO, and major investment banking transactions.He regularly monitors the CBN’s open market operations, interbank FX markets, and equity market movements, providing readers with real-time intelligence on Nigeria’s financial landscape.His reporting draws on direct access to institutional research from firms including Moody’s Ratings, CardinalStone Securities, Fitch, and other leading African investment houses.Julius brings analytical depth and editorial rigour to every story, making complex financial data accessible to professionals, investors, and policymakers across Africa.Julius Alagbe is based in Lagos, Nigeria.

XRP Falls as Ripple Prime Opens Wall Street Swap Desk

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XRP Falls as Ripple Prime Opens Wall Street Swap Desk XRP is down 3.04% to $1.35, underperforming a slightly negative broader market, primarily driven by a macro-induced risk-off sentiment that pressured altcoins. The move appears consistent with a technical retest of a major support zone after a sharp rally. Traders said a broader market pullback was triggered by hawkish Federal Reserve commentary, which dampened risk appetite and led to selling pressure across crypto assets. The primary driver is a market-wide risk-off shift. Hawkish comments from Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh at the Jackson Hole symposium on August 28 emphasised the…

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MTN Nigeria Dips Ahead of Scheduled Dividend Payments

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MTN Nigeria Dips Ahead of Scheduled Dividend Payments The stock market value of MTN Nigeria Plc.’s 20.995 billion shares outstanding declined to N16.250 trillion ahead of the telecommunications company’s interim dividend payment scheduled for Sept. 7, 2026. MTN Nigeria share price fell about 4% in 7 days to N774 at the close of the trading session on Friday as 2.646 million units valued at N2.050 billion were traded in the market. The telecom giant is scheduled to pay N26 as an interim dividend to shareholders. The market anticipates the dividend payment to reduce MTN’s share price, with the third-quarter earnings…

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First Holdco Hits N6.6trn on 60% Distributable Profit Bets

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First Holdco Hits N6.6trn on 60% Distributable Profit Bets The market value of FirstHoldco Plc.’s 45.475 billion shares outstanding on the Nigerian Exchange increased by about 11.6% to N6.6 trillion last week. The banking group continues to enjoy a strong market re-rating as its chairman, Femi Otedola, has enhanced its single largest shareholder stake to about 30%. FirstHoldco has grown about 5x from its 52-week low, and more than 3x its floor price pre-earnings, not driven by improved fundamentals per se, but more by sentiment and then the ‘Otedola’ factor. FirstBank of Nigeria’s non-operating holding company is now the largest…

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