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.

South African Rand Firms Up Slightly Ahead of Rate Decision

News

South African Rand Firms Up Slightly Ahead of Rate Decision The South African rand (ZAR) firmed up slightly against the US dollar, the euro, and the British pound on Wednesday ahead of the Reserve Bank (SARB) interest rate decision. With the threat of a global inflation surge, the market anticipates a hawkish stance to continue, and some analysts do not rule out a hold decision amid unstable US-Iran negotiations. The rand is trading marginally firmer as expectations of a cautious South African Reserve Bank monetary policy committee (MPC) meeting continue to provide support for the currency. In a brief, First…

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South African Rand Firmer as Risk Sentiment Improves

News

South African Rand Firmer as Risk Sentiment Improves The South African Rand (ZAR) is trading firmer on Tuesday as global risk sentiment improves despite growing inflation and concerns about interest rate surges. A breather in the global commodity market is a relief as investors price in a renewed US-Iran plan towards nuclear negotiations. In a brief released on Tuesday, First National Bank (FNB) said the rand is trading slightly firmer, citing hopes of a temporary ceasefire between the US and Iran. The fresh ceasefire arrangement has improved risk sentiment, supporting demand for emerging-market currencies. The rand is changing hands at…

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US, European Markets Rebound on AI Momentum

Global Market

US, European Markets Rebound on AI Momentum US and European markets rebounded despite geopolitical tension, driven by renewed investor sentiment in technology and AI stocks. A broad-based rebound in semiconductor stocks drove the dominant overnight theme as investors returned to beaten-down chip names following last week’s sharp AI-driven selloff, First National Bank said in its morning brief. In the US on Monday, the Federal Reserve (Fed) backdrop remained steady, but Middle East tensions and caution ahead of major technology earnings weighed on sentiment. The S&P 500 slipped 0.19%, the Nasdaq Composite ended barely changed, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average…

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Bitcoin Hits $66k, Races Towards Predicted Price on ETF Inflows

News

Bitcoin Hits $66k, Races Towards Predicted Price on ETF Inflows Bitcoin (BTC) price rose to $66k on Tuesday, outperforming a broadly rising market, driven primarily by renewed institutional exchange-traded fund (ETF) demand as macro fears ease. A technical signal indicates BTC could climb to $68k or fall back below $64k amidst a significant surge in trading volume over the last 24 hours. Data from crypto exchanges showed Bitcoin trading volume surged by 67% to $31.16 billion as analysts predicted momentum to build on sustained institutional positioning. Market reports revealed that spot Bitcoin ETF inflows extended to a fifth consecutive day,…

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XRP Breakout, Up by 5% as Ripple CTO Regrets Selling at $0.10

News

XRP Breakout, Up by 5% as Ripple CTO Regrets Selling at $0.10 Ripple (XRP) price broke out, rising about 5% to $1.13 on Tuesday, outperforming a broader market rally driven by investors’ optimism and a technical breakout above key resistance. The token price move aligns with a general risk-on shift as Bitcoin reclaimed $65,000 on renewed ETF inflows and a rebound in Asian tech stocks. Technical traders reported that XRP broke above a key resistance band between $1.11 and $1.14, a level analyst had highlighted. The price move was validated by a significant 73% increase in 24-hour trading volume to…

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Transcorp Power Declares N1.50 Interim Dividend

News

Transcorp Power Declares N1.50 Interim Dividend Transcorp Power Plc’s board of directors has proposed to pay the power-generating company’s shareholders N1.50 per share as an interim dividend for the first half of 2026.  The board decided in line with the company’s dividend policy amidst operational challenges relating to infrastructure vandalism, which dented earnings in the period. In its unaudited financial statement, the company posted about N55 billion in pre-tax profit in the first half of the financial year 2026, maintaining a positive outlook for the second half. Energy delivery declined about 8% year on year in the first half of…

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