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.
Open repo, and overnight lending rates were steadied despite a surge in liquidity level in the financial system last week. The money market closed with excess liquidity of about N6 trillion despite primary market auctions.
The South African rand lost momentum against Western currencies on Monday amid a US dollar rally, surging global oil prices and an increase in the country’s unemployment Rate.
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) closed N2 trillion in OMO bills sales with foreign portfolio investors and deposit money banks at the primary market auction on Friday.
Yield on Nigerian Bonds Rises as Inflation Twists Sentiment Benchmark yield on Nigerian government bonds rose slightly in the secondary market as investors switched to a cautious stance amid rising inflation. The real return on fixed-interest securities has decreased, though it remains positive, following a series of buying actions to lock in yields. At the current pace, Nigerian Treasury bills remain strong despite their shorter tenors compared to local bonds. Traders reported the market was weighed down by weak investor demand and increased selloffs across most maturities compared to the previous week. Sell pressures were seen across the curve amid restrained…
Oil prices rose on Monday as efforts to balance the global demand and supply equation continued to yield less favourable outcomes, with US President Donald Trump’s ‘clock is ticking’ warning to Iran.
The US dollar climbed to its highest level in about a month on surging demand for safe havens as concerns over war-driven inflation intensified.
NGX Surges by N3.34trn, Year-to-Date Return Rises to 61% With a year-to-date return of about 61%, the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) surged by N3.34 trillion as investors continued to bet on the earnings potential of some companies’ stocks. The local bourse ended the week on a strong bullish note, as sustained gains in key counters drove overall market performance. The NGX All-Share Index (ASI) advanced by 2.27% week-on-week to close at 250,330.92 points, while market capitalisation rose to ₦160.44 trillion, reflecting an increase of approximately ₦3.34 trillion. Consequently, year-to-date returns strengthened to 60.87%, underscoring continued positive investor sentiment. Market breadth also…
Intesa Sanpaolo, Italy’s largest bank, more than doubled its crypto-related investment exposure in the first quarter. The bank’s crypto exposure increased to about $235 million at the end of March from roughly $100 million at the end of 2025.
Bitcoin (BTC) staged a price recovery, climbing by about 1% to $78.5k, as Italy’s largest Bank doubled its crypto holdings amid sell pressure in the cryptocurrency market.
Aliko Dangote has revealed that persistent foreign exchange (FX) challenges forced him to exit Nigeria’s flour and textile industries, marking one of the most significant strategic shifts in his business career.