Honeymoon ends as Naira Weakens on Nigeria’s Streets

VAM News update

THE naira on Wednesday weakened to N1,135 per dollar at the parallel section of the foreign exchange (FX) market.

The figure represents N15 or 1.35 percent depreciation compared to the N1,120 it traded yesterday.

Currency traders known as Bureau De Change operators (BDCs), who spoke to newsmen in Lagos, quoted the buying rate of the greenback at N1,120 and the selling price at N1,135 per dollar.

“The rate was highly volatile today,” a street trader who identified himself as Aliyu said.

A parallel market is characterised by non-compliant behaviour with an institutional set of rules.

On the official market side, the naira depreciated by 0.55 percent to close at N874.71 to a dollar on Wednesday — from N869.91 on Tuesday.

According to data on FMDQ Securities Exchange, a platform that oversees official foreign-exchange trading in Nigeria, the highest price recorded within the day’s trading was N1097.50/$, before it settled at N745/$.

JP Morgan, a US multinational financial services firm, had projected the naira would trade at about N850 to the dollar before the end of 2023.