- Senate Passes State Police Bill
- Nigeria Targets $750 Billion in Untapped Minerals With New EMERGE Programme
- S&P Cuts Nigeria’s Growth Projection, Raises Inflation Expectation
- South African Rand Stables Against Crosses Ahead of PPI Data
- AI Names Shift Global Markets Indicators, FTSE 100 Surges
- BTCUSD- Bitcoin Dips to $61.5K as Institutional Appetite Softens
- Nigeria Seeks Partnerships to Build World-Class Steel Industry
- Oil Prices Ease Near Pre-War Range as US, Russia Plan Talks
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.
The crypto market capitalisation plunged to $2.1 trillion over 24 hours, primarily driven by a massive cascade of liquidations that amplified selling pressure.
Ripple (XRP) price declined 5% to $1.07 during the early trading session on Saturday, underperforming a broadly weak crypto market primarily driven by whale distribution colliding with persistent U.S. regulatory uncertainty.
The naira softened against the US dollar as international payments outweighed FX liquidity at the Nigeria Foreign Exchange Market (NFEM) on Friday, according to an official report from the authority.
Ethereum price (ETHUSD) dropped by about 10% in 24 hours to $1,598.17, underperforming Bitcoin’s 3.92% drop, primarily driven by a cascade of leveraged long liquidations amid a broad altcoin market crash.
Bitcoin price (BTC) is down 6.12% to $59,821 on Friday amid aggressive crypto selloffs, underperforming a broader market decline and primarily driven by a hawkish reaction to strong U.S. jobs data.
World growth prospects have been hurt by the oil crisis prompted by the US-Iran war, Fitch Ratings says in its latest Global Economic Outlook (GEO). This has led Fitch to lower its 2026 forecast for global growth by 0.2 percentage points to 2.4%.
The South African Rand is trading steady against the US dollar and other crosses on Friday, while the latest report shows that the country’s foreign reserves fell due to weaker gold prices.
Global equities markets are heading for a mixed close this week amid easing tensions in the Middle East, while negative sentiment amplified AI stock sell-offs.
Bitcoin price (BTCUSD) nosedived to $61,491, underperforming the broader market’s 4.46% decline and was driven primarily by sustained institutional selling pressure.
Germany is set to be the main economic beneficiary among Europe’s large economies as the continent raises defence spending, Fitch Ratings says in a new report.