Author: Julius Alagbe

Egypt Battles High Debt Burden Amidst Fiscal Consolidation Egypt is struggling with exceptionally weak debt affordability, with significant public debt as a proportion of economic size threatening the country’s outlook. However, the country is getting multilateral lender support, including a huge investment drive from Qatar to enhance economic conditions. key macroeconomic indicators have been weakened, with a double-digit headline inflation rate in the country. The country’s consumer price index has, however, improved significantly, supported by effective monetary authority policy and some fiscal consideration. Egyptians’ debt remains a threat to economic growth. In a non-rating commentary note, Moody’s said exceptionally weak…

CBN to Auction N700bn Worth of Local Treasury Bills on Wed. Through the Debt Management Office (DMO), the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) is set to auction its final set of Nigerian Treasury bills to investors in the primary market on Wednesday. The authority has consecutively conducted two auction sales in December due to an ad-hoc offers totalling N750 billion the authority introduced into its fourth quarter calendar. The final auction was adjusted to N700 billion, from N365 billion initially anticipated, reflecting increase need for short term funds by the Nigerian government. In the secondary market, trading activities were volatile…

Nigeria Posts Trade Surplus for 12 Qs as FX Earnings Rise Nigeria maintained 12 consecutive quarters (12 Qs) of trade surplus in Q3-2025, supported by higher export earnings—especially from crude oil—despite a slight decline in surplus compared to Q2.  Imports remained elevated due to continued reliance on foreign goods, even as mineral imports declined with increased local refining output from Dangote Refinery, AIICO Capital Limited said in a commentary note. According to Nigerian statistics office, Asia remained Nigeria’s main import source, while Europe was the largest destination for exports. Particularly, AIICO Capital Limited said a positive trade balance has supported…

Naira Priced at N1,454 Per Dollar Payment in FX Market The naira was priced at N1454.51 per U.S. dollar payment transaction at the Nigerian foreign exchange market on Friday after trading negatively for 8 days. The local currency’s last-minute rally was driven by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) fx intervention sales to banks and other authorised dealers in the official window. FX traders said it took the Apex Bank for the naira to rebound on Friday amidst rising demand for foreign payments by eligible market participants. The FX spot rate trade was between an intraday high of N1458.5000 and…

Investors Gain N946 Billion in Nigerian Stock Market The equities segment of the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) closed the week positive, as investors gained N946 billion on Friday due to sustained interest in medium- and large-capitalized stocks. Specifically, market capitalisation grew by N946 billion, or one per cent, closing at N95.264 trillion from N94.318 trillion recorded on Thursday. Similarly, the All-Share Index increased by 1,482.67 points, or one per cent to close at 149,433.26 from 147,950.59 recorded previously. While the year-to-date return increased by 45.18 per cent, the market breadth closed positive with 30 gainers and 23 losers. Guinness Nigeria led…

MTN Nigeria Hits 52-Week High as Investors Double Down Bets MTN Nigeria Plc hit a new 52 weeks high in the Nigerian stock market on Friday as investors doubled down on their bets on telecommunication company stock. The telco company’s share price rose to N531.70 on Friday, according to its trading data obtained from the Nigerian Exchange. The positive price movement followed increased trading activities on the telecom company shares.  Data showed that the telecom company share price surged by 7.26% over a huge trading volume of 2.643 million transacted at the total value of N1.383 billion on Friday. Trading…

UK Economy Shrinks in October – ONS The UK economy contracted again in October, official data showed Friday, dealing a blow to the Labour government’s hopes of reviving economic growth. Britain’s gross domestic product (GDP) fell 0.1 percent in October following a contraction of 0.1 percent in September, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said in a statement. Analysts had forecast growth of 0.1 percent. In its official report, ONS announced that real gross domestic product (GDP) is estimated to have fallen by 0.1% in the three months to October 2025, compared with the three months to July 2025. This…

OPEC Oil Production in November Declines in November Crude oil production by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) fell by 1,000 barrels per day (bpd) in November compared to the previous month, reaching around 28.48 million bpd, according to the group’s latest Monthly Oil Market Report on Thursday. Venezuela, Iraq, and Iran recorded the largest declines, while the largest output increase came from Saudi Arabia last month. Saudi Arabia, the group’s top producer, increased its output by 54,000 bpd to about 10 million bpd, while Venezuela’s production declined by 27,000 bpd to roughly 934,000 bpd. Iraq’s output declined…

Naira Extends Volatility as NFEM Rate Falls to N1,456 The naira has dropped in value for eight consecutive trading sessions at the Nigerian foreign exchange (NFEM) window, closing at N1456 per dollar on Thursday. The local currency defied the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) fx interventions amidst rising foreign payments, reflecting the absence of significant inflows from foreign investors, exporters and non-bank corporate players. The Apex Bank’ daily FX update revealed that the naira depreciated again by 0.05% to ₦1,456.07 per dollar transaction conducted in the official window. During intraday trading session, the spot FX rate touched N1459 per dollar…

All Ministries Will Be Entirely Paperless from Dec – Walson-Jack Mrs Didi Walson-Jack, Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, says all ministries and extra-ministerial departments are expected to be entirely paperless by Dec. 31. Walson-Jack made the declaration on Thursday in Abuja during her keynote address at the “Second Edition of the Citizens and Stakeholders` Engagement“. According to her, the government has determined to achieve the feat through the adoption of an enterprise content management system. “Our goal is for citizens and users of public services to reach us online and receive instant responses and services. Today, we…