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.

University Press Loss After Tax Narrows by 14% to N154mn

News

University Press Loss After Tax Narrows by 14% to N154mn University Press Plc delivered a more resilient first-half 2026 performance, demonstrating stronger revenue growth and improved cost discipline that significantly reduced losses despite Nigeria’s challenging macroeconomic environment. While the company remains unprofitable, its Q2 2026 results indicate gradual operational improvement driven by better expense management rather than a fundamental turnaround in earnings. Revenue increased by 24.7% to N427.1 million, compared with N342.6 million in the corresponding period of 2025. The growth reflects sustained demand within the education sector despite inflationary pressures, constrained consumer purchasing power, and elevated production costs affecting…

Read More

NGX All-Share Index Declines as Investors Book Profit

News

NGX All-Share Index Declines as Investors Book Profit The Nigerian Exchange (NGX) All-Share Index (ASI) declined further on Friday as investors continue to take profit amidst Q2 earnings releases from listed companies. The stock market closed trading activities for the month of July on a negative note, with key performance indicators showing mixed outcomes. The NGX-ASI declined by -0.03%, while the stock market capitalisation decreased by -0.01%, a divergence attributed to the listing of AVA Capital Plc’s 5,000,000,000 Ordinary Shares of N1.00 each at N7.50 Per Share on the Main Board of Nigerian Exchange Limited. The market index fell by…

Read More

Transcorp Hotels Shareholders Barely React to H1-2026 Earnings

News

Transcorp Hotels Shareholders Barely React to H1-2026 Earnings At N241.9 per share, there has been little reaction to Transcorp Hotels Plc’s earnings performance after the hospitality company released its first-half 2026 scorecard. Details from the unaudited financials release indicated that Transcorp Hotels recorded a resilient performance in H1 2026, with revenue declining by 5.33% year-on-year to ₦44.43 billion due to weaker performance in its International Business segment. However, improved cost management supported the hospitality company’s profitability, as cost of sales and operating expenses declined by 8.02% and 12.79%, respectively. Transcorp Hotels’ stronger finance income and improved operational efficiency helped drive…

Read More