Nigerian Naira Gains as Central Bank Ensures Dollar Supplies

LAGOS, Nigeria, Capital Markets in Africa: Nigeria’s naira strengthened against the dollar, heading for its first gain since starting to trade without a peg three days ago, as the central bank sought to stabilize the market through the sale of dollars.

The naira rose by 1.1 percent to 281.5 per dollar by 1:53 p.m. in Lagos, the commercial capital of Africa’s largest economy, after earlier dropping as much as 0.5 percent.

The regulator has intervened in the market by selling foreign exchange since it ended the currency’s 16-monthlong peg of 197-199 per dollar on Monday. It sold $4 billion in the spot and forwards market that day to clear a backlog of demand for hard currency, and followed that with about $100 million of sales on the spot market on Tuesday.

“The market expects the central bank to continue to intervene on a daily basis for now as it is easily the only source of dollar supplies,” Sewa Wusu, head of research at SCM Capital Ltd., said by phone from Lagos. “Foreign direct investment and portfolio flows are yet to start flowing in as investors wait on the sidelines to watch for liquidity, price discovery and stability.”

Forward contracts dropped as traders reduced their bets on how much further the naira will weaken, although they still see it dropping 6.7 percent by late September. Three-month naira non-deliverable forward contracts fell 3.8 percent, the most on a closing basis since May 17, to 305 per dollar. Contracts maturing in a year declined 3.8 percent to 339.4 per dollar.

“The monetary authority will be a regular participant in the interbank market, at least in the short term, to ensure that sufficient liquidity is available to facilitate two-way trade,” analysts at Johannesburg-based Rand Merchant Bank, including Celeste Fauconnier and Nema Ramkhelawan-Bhana, said in a note to clients.

Nigeria’s benchmark equity index rose for a second day, advancing by 1.5 percent to 29,876.81, heading for its highest close since Oct. 23. It has risen 33 percent since falling to a more than three-year low on Jan. 19, as local investors buy stocks anticipating a return by foreigners, who fled as the central bank imposed capital controls to defend the naira’s peg.

Yields on the West African country’s $500 million bonds due in July 2023 fell by one basis point to 7.08 percent, the lowest on a closing basis since Aug. 10.

Source: Bloomberg Business News