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.

Cardano Dips 4.3% Amid Founder Charles Hoskinson Exit Rumours Cardano (ADA) price is down 4.27% to $0.1581 on Monday, underperforming a declining broader market, primarily driven by a derivatives-led leverage reset and liquidations. ADA is facing selling pressure amid rumours of retirement by its founder, Charles Hoskinson.  According to crypto traders, derivatives unwind, with bearish futures positioning and $80.03 million in liquidations amplifying the sell-off. A sharp drop in futures Open Interest to around $389 million, along with a negative funding rate, signals that traders are exiting bullish positions. Crypto analysts said this was compounded by $80.03 million in ADA…

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South African Rand Weakens on Inflation Concerns The South African rand is trading weaker on Monday as investors favour the US dollar amid heightened geopolitical tensions in the Middle East. The market is weighing inflation concerns following a spike in global oil prices. With a US Federal Reserve rate-hike signal, the market anticipates that the South African Reserve Bank will continue to adjust policy rates to align with the global outlook. In a brief, First National Bank (FNB) said the rand is changing hands at R16.38 to the US dollar, R18.68 to the euro, and R21.91 to the British pound…

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Aradel Holdings Gains 20% as Energy Investors Boost Exposure Aradel Holdings gained about 20% in the Nigerian stock market as investors increased their positions ahead of the second quarter (Q2) 2026 earnings release. The company’s value is about 25% below its 52-week high in the Nigerian bourse, with the next earnings release anticipated to be a strong catalyst for its re-rating. Based on its trading data, the energy stock surged 19.7% week on week to N1326.80, driven by increased trading activity led by buy-side actors on the Nigerian bourse. Stockbrokers attributed the sharp rally to investors boosting their holdings in…

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