Author: Ogooluwa Aremu

Litecoin Price Climbs to $51.69 on Technical Bounce Litecoin (LTC) price gained about 100 basis points in 24 hours to $51.69 on Tuesday, modestly outpacing Bitcoin’s +0.19% gain in a broadly flat market, driven by a technical bounce from oversold conditions, with no clear coin-specific catalyst evident in the data. LTC is hovering behind $52, having declined 4.81% this week and 25.09% over the past 30 days. This underperformance aligns with a brutal period for crypto, during which the total market cap fell 26.58% over 30 days to $2.22 trillion. Litecoin’s 24-hour trading volume stands at $322.1 million, according to…

Oil Prices Edge Higher on Lingering Supply Risks Oil prices edged higher on Tuesday amid lingering supply risks, while renewed U.S. tariff threats have added another layer of market pressure. Brent crude traded at $71.51 per barrel, up 0.3% from the previous close of $71.26. US benchmark West Texas Intermediate (WTI) increased 0.4% to $66.66 per barrel, compared with $66.40 in the previous session. The price increase was driven by geopolitical risks in the Middle East, cautious expectations for nuclear negotiations between the US and Iran, and lingering uncertainty over US trade policy. The third round of indirect nuclear talks…

Bitcoin Falls to $64k on Sharp Leverage Liquidations Bitcoin (BTC) fell to the $64k level on Monday as uncertainties in the global economy, fueled by escalating US–Iran tensions, triggered heavy leverage liquidation in the crypto market. The US’s latest tariff threats coincided with a sharp crypto selloff that triggered roughly half a billion dollars in leveraged liquidations. Reporting from multiple market trackers shows that roughly $470 to $505 million leveraged crypto positions were liquidated in 24 hours, with Bitcoin accounting for roughly 232 million and Ethereum (ETH) about 126 million, consistent with a broad, but BTC-led, deleveraging across majors. Top…

Tier-1 banks: GTCO, Zenith, First Holdco, UBA, and Access Plc added N778 billion to their combined market value (MV) in the Nigerian stock market as investors stepped up actions.

Money Market Rates Soften Despite OMO, NTB Debits Money market rates softened despite huge outflows related to settlement for OMO and the Nigerian Treasury bills auction floated by the monetary authority last week. The financial system opened with strong liquidity, driven by inflows from expired bills.  This buoyed system liquidity to N4.68 trillion, largely supported by strong placements at the Standing Deposit Facility. Banks continue to place excess funds with the Central Bank to augment their revenue as lending appetite tightens. Commercial banks’ preference for investment securities intensifies, with fair values on financial statements running into the trillions. Liquidity conditions…

Non-operating company of First Bank of Nigeria, First Holdco Plc’s stock market value increased by more than 12% last week, reflecting investors’ improved sentiment as the first quarter of the 2026 earnings season approaches.

GTCO Climbs to N4.3trn Ahead of 2025 Earnings Dual-listed Nigerian lender GTCO Plc’s stock market value surged by about 5.4% as investors increased bets on the orange-branded financial services company ahead of its earnings release. The ticker trading data obtained from the Nigerian Exchange showed that GTCO’s share price rose to N118 on Friday as 11.381 million units valued at N1.336 billion were traded. Its share price saw intermittent swings as investors exited and re-entered positions, with heavy trading volumes reflecting increased market activity. The group is warming up to release its 2025 earnings results as the first quarter approaches.…

Ripple (XRPUSD) has dropped about 4% over the past 24 hours to $1.39, underperforming a broader market that is also declining, reflecting capital rotating out of altcoins amid extreme fear sentiment.

DEAP Capital Names High Profile Executives to Board of Directors Financial services firm DEAP Capital Limited has named some high-profile executives to its Board of Directors (BoD), according to an official announcement obtained by MarketForces Africa. The company announced the appointment of Mr. Lamon Rutten, the founding Chief Executive Officer of the Saudi Mining Exchange and the Mumbai Commodity Exchange (MCX), to its Board of Directors, effective February 17, 2026. Mr Lamond Rutten is an internationally respected commodities and capital markets executive with over three decades of experience in the development of commodities exchanges, structured commodity finance, and market infrastructure.…

Bitcoin Cash (BCH) gained about 1% to $573.01 over the past 24h, reaching a new all-time high average transaction value of over $2 million on its network.