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.

Naira Closed at N1,346 as Gross External Reserves Rise to $52.657bn Strengthened by N11.11 in 5 days, the Nigerian Naira traded positively against Western currencies in the foreign exchange market, supported by robust US dollar liquidity. The market was mostly liquid, with interbank foreign exchange activities reflecting demand and supply indicators that set the rate direction last week. In the official market, the currency appreciated by 0.83% week-on-week, closing at N1,346.49 per US dollar, according to data from the Central Bank.  Similarly, the naira saw a slight gain in the parallel market, settling at N1,400.61 as the informal segment experienced…

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Investors Lose N443bn as Stock Market Downturn Enters 9Days The Nigerian stock market index declined on Friday, with investors losing more than N443 billion, as the downturn in the local bourse entered its 9th day. The market closed the week in bearish territory, with key performance indicators recording a 0.29% loss. The losing streak, which persisted all week, was driven by sustained selling pressures across major market sectors. Mid-cap and blue-chip stocks such as FCMB, DANGSUGAR, ZENITHBANK, and FIRSTHOLDCO recorded significant losses today. The Nigerian Exchange (NGX) All-Share Index (ASI) fell by -686.64 basis points, or -0.29%, to close at…

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