Author: Julius Alagbe
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.
U.S. President Donald Trump has dismissed concerns that the value of the U.S. dollar has declined too much, arguing instead that the currency has been doing “great.”
S&P 500 earnings are projected to grow 15.5% in 2026 to $314 per share, according to analyst estimates …
Nigeria Customs Revenue Hits NGN7.28trn in 2025 The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) revenue collections for 2025 surpassed the target by 10% to close the year at ₦ 7.28 trillion, its chief said. Adewale Adeniyi, Comptroller General of the Service, gave the scorecard at an event to mark the 2026 World Customs Day on Monday, explaining that revenue exceeded the earlier projected ₦6.5 trillion. Adeniyi noted that last year showed very clearly what “protecting society” looks like in the real world. While speaking further, he noted that officers of the Command uncovered 16 containers of contraband goods in the period under…
Africa’s Economic Outlook to Remain Solid in 2026 – UN Report The Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) today launched the United Nations flagship World Economic Situation and Prospects 2026 (WESP 2026) report at its headquarters in Addis Ababa, highlighting a modest improvement in Africa’s growth outlook. According to the report, economic growth in Africa is projected to rise to 4.0 per cent in 2026 and 4.1 per cent in 2027, up from 3.5 per cent in 2024 and 3.9 per cent in 2025. The acceleration reflects greater macroeconomic stability in several large economies, supporting investment and consumer spending. Speaking at…
Access Bank Plc has confirmed its readiness to host the second Africa Trade Conference (ATC 2026)
Seplat Gains 15% after M&P Sells Interest to Heirs Energies Seplat Energy Plc, Nigeria’s leading independent company, traded at its all-time high on the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) after gaining more than 15% in January 2026. Its stock market price ticked higher less than three weeks after one of its founding investors sold its entire 120.4 million shares to Tony Elumelu-backed Heirs Energies Limited for $496 million. As some value hunters tag along the new significant shareholder, the oil stock popped higher by 15.3% from the beginning of the year to N6,700, from N5,809 at the close of the trading session…
Zenith Bank Plc saw a slight gain in the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) as the financial services company’s market value inched near N3 trillion, amidst its first growth by acquisition strategy.
After Spot Rates Hike, DMO Reopens 7, 10-Year Bonds for Sale After the spot rates hike in December, the Debt Management Office (DMO) is scheduled to conduct its monthly Federal Government Bond auction on Monday, with three reopening instruments. The three local bonds offer amounting to N900 billion will be opened for investor subscriptions with mixed expectations following disinflation reversal. The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) discount rates decision at the midweek Treasury bills auction last week signals possible continuation of the repricing that started in the fourth quarter of 2025. At the first bonds auction in 2026, the market…
Dogecoin Sinks by 10% WoW over Weak Altcoin Sentiment Dogecoin (DOGEUSD) has deepened its weekly loss over 24 hours in the crypto market, falling by 10.5% week-on-week (WoW) to $0.123 on Sunday, as adverse sentiment surrounding altcoins has considerably weighed on its value. The cryptocurrency market conditions tightened as geopolitical instability persists, resulting in geoeconomic concerns ahead of the U.S. Federal Reserve decision on rates. Dogecoin fell 1.04% over the last 24h, a modest decline that extends a 10.49% weekly loss, reflecting broader market weakness. Its trading volume has declined by 44% to $426 millionon the day. The broader crypto…
Oil Prices Edge Higher WoW on Geopolitical Tensions Oil prices rose slightly week on week (WoW) due to heightened geopolitical tensions, changing trade signals from the US, and increased demand indicators from China that bolstered market sentiment. However, plentiful global supply and worries surrounding US monetary policy capped the increases. International benchmark Brent crude traded at $64.41 per barrel, up 1.3% from last Friday’s close of $63.55. US benchmark West Texas Intermediate (WTI) rose 1.8% to $60.31 per barrel, compared with $59.22 a week earlier. Prices fell early in the week after reports that US President Donald Trump had halted…