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.
Gold prices hovered around $5,000 per ounce threshold on Friday as global tensions shifted investors’ attentions towards safe-haven assets, while the US dollar lost its allure.
With US national debt now hitting almost $39 trillion, Trump needs to focus on the potential fallout of the world’s largest economy’s debt triggering a global financial crisis, warns the CEO of one of the world’s largest independent financial advisory organisations.
Crude oil prices edged higher in the global commodity market on Friday as concerns over a possible US military strike on Iran eased, calming fears that tensions could disrupt oil supplies from the Middle East.
Global over-the-counter (OTC) derivatives notional outstanding grew to $845.7 trillion at the end of June 2025, a 15.9% rise compared to mid-year 2024 and a 20.9% increase relative to year-end 2024, International Swaps and Derivatives Association (ISDA) said in a report.
Equities Market Lost N557bn to Investors Profit-Taking Actions The Nigerian equities market weakened on Thursday, lost N557 billion on the day dut to profita taking activities of sell side investors in the local bourse. Trading data from the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) showed that all the sectoral indices went south as market anticipates release of fourth quarter of 2025 earnings, tagged as the next catalysts to drive re-rating. The NGX All-share index and market capitalisation declined by 0.52% to close at 165,397.4 points and N105.9 trillion, respectively. The session’s weak performance was largely driven by losses in INTBREW (-6.00%), WAPCO (-5.06%),…
M&A: Numbers of Banks in Nigeria to Shrink in 2026 —DataPro With the deadline for banking industry recapitalisation on the horizon, credit research agency DataPro has forecast a reduction in the number of banks. The firm noted that this impending deadline has initiated ‘war room’ conversations centered on executing deals and managing risks. While the top 5 big banks have successfully met their new capital base, a report released by the ratings agency suggests there are three tier-2 banks that may merge their operations—without mentioning their corporate identities. By the end of 2026, the Nigerian banking industry is expected to…
Nigeria to Become Net Urea, Fertiliser Exporter by 2028—NMDPRA The Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) says Nigeria is positioned to become a net exporter of Urea and fertiliser by 2028. The authority’s Chief Executive, Mr Saidu Mohammed, disclosed this on Thursday during an operational tour of Indorama Eleme Petrochemicals Limited facilities in Eleme, Rivers. Mohammed said ongoing investments and expansions of critical assets would enable Nigeria to join the league of urea-exporting nations and emerge as a fertiliser production hub. According to him, the country is on the right path towards transforming its petroleum and manufacturing sectors…
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has again increased the spot rates on Nigerian Treasury bills with 91 and 182 days maturities at the main auction
Debt Office to Auction N900 Billion Reopened FGN Bonds The Debt Management Office (DMO) has announced a plan to auction N900 billion worth of reopened Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) bonds at its monthly primary market auction next week. Inflation and liquidity level in the financial system are expected to dictate investors’ subscriptions, though spot rates adjustments top market expectations, investment analysts told MarketForces Africa. The DMO’s local borrowing is expected to increase in 2026 as the budget deficit surged, with some analysts thinking a Eurobond raise may be a tight and expensive move for the authority in the first…
African Eurobond Bearish Amidst Elevated U.S Treasury Yields African Eurobonds traded on a mildly bearish note amidst elevated U.S. Treasury yields as investors reassessed Fed easing timing. Debt market analysts reported that profit-taking was evident across maturities as investors locked in gains amidst shifting global economic direction. Investors were mostly cautious as the market weighed potential trade disruption as the U.S. renewed its tariff threat against the European Union and the United Kingdom. To retaliate against U.S. pressure and tariffs, European officials plan to impose their own tariffs, a combative move that will lead to ‘sell America.’ There were signals…