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.

Fitch Upgrades Ethiopia’s Credit Ratings as Financial Pressures Ease Fitch Ratings has upgraded Ethiopia’s credit rating due to easing financial pressures. In its latest rating note, Fitch upgraded the country’s Long-Term Local-Currency (LTLC) Issuer Default Rating (IDR) to ‘CCC+’ from ‘CCC-‘ and affirmed the Long-Term Foreign-Currency IDR at ‘RD’ (Restricted Default). The upgrade of Ethiopia’s LTLC IDR to ‘CCC+’ from ‘CCC-‘ reflects easing financing pressures, improved macroeconomic stability, and increased confidence that local-currency obligations will not be included in the ongoing debt restructuring, Fitch said. It stated that renewed concessional external financing has significantly reduced net domestic financing requirement. Ethiopia…

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Oil Prices Below $73 despite Israel Attacks on Iran Oil prices slipped despite Israel’s latest counterattack on an Iranian military facility that killed four.  Oil prices opened Monday lower with Brent trading more than 4% lower, taking the market back below $73 per barrel, ING commodities strategists said in a note today. The crude oil prices dipped despite the fact that Israel finally responding over the weekend to Iran’s recent missile attack. However, Israel’s response appears to have been measured with only Iranian air defence and missile production facilities targeted, analysts said, noting that the concern for the market had…

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