Nigerian government bond yields have dropped to 20.01% as of Monday, a significant shift in the local debt market driven by a surge in investor demand.
This decline comes amid an atmosphere of heightened interest in risk-free investments, reflecting a broader trend of financial caution among investors.
The recent fall in benchmark yields is attributed to a robust appetite for Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) bonds.
Investors, seeking safer havens amidst prevailing economic uncertainties and high inflation rates, have increasingly turned their attention to these bonds, which offer relatively attractive returns compared to other investment options.
The Nigerian Debt Management Office (DMO) has played a pivotal role in this development. With the agency having met 70% of its 2024 bond sales target, there has been a notable slowdown in bond supply.
This reduced issuance has contributed to the heightened demand and subsequent yield drop.
In recent months, the bond market had faced pressures that pushed yields above 20%.
These pressures were fueled by tight system liquidity and a series of interest rate hikes by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
However, the current decline in yields suggests a shift towards a more favorable market environment for bond investors.
