The Naira rose at the official market, the Nigerian Autonomous Foreign Exchange Market (NAFEM) as well as at the unofficial parallel market on Tuesday, giving a lifeline to the local currency which latched on to a weaker US Dollar in the global market.

The local currency gained 0.33 percent on the US Dollar at the official market to exchange at N1,671.32 /$1 on Tuesday, November 5 amid an improvement in supply at the official market.

The local currency rose on the American currency by N5.58 versus N1,676.90/$1 which it closed at the previous session on Monday.

Data showed a jump in supply as the turnover published on the FMDQ Group website stood at $218.77 million. This indicated that the session’s turnover fell by 175.3 percent, indicating an appreciation of $139.30 million compared to the $79.47 million published in the last trading session.

In the black market, the Naira added 52 Kobo against the greenback to close at N1,708.35 to the US Dollar compared to N1,708.87/$1 it closed on Monday.

Traders had adjusted their position, leading to a weaker position for the Dollar as voters went to the polls to choose the 47th president of the US.

There was a flat outcome for the Naira against the Pound Sterling but it depreciated against the Euro in the official market. The domestic currency closed on the British currency at N2,160.63/£1.

Meanwhile, against the Euro, the Nigerian currency closed at N1,819.86/€1 versus N1,816.40/€1, indicating an N3.46 depreciation.

The Naira gained against the British currency in the black market as it added by 93 Kobo to sell at N2,216.46/£1 compared with the preceding session’s N2,217.39/£1.

However, it followed a different pattern against the Euro as it depreciated N1.65 to quote at N1,864.57/€1 versus the previous day’s rate of N1,862.98/€1 and it extended losses against the Canadian Dollar as it depreciated further by N2.29 to close at N1,224.62 per Canadian Dollar, compared to Monday’s N1,222.33 per CAD.

The Naira depreciated at the Nigerian Autonomous Foreign Exchange Market (NAFEM) by 0.61 percent and sold against the US Dollar at N1,676.90/$1 on Monday, November 4.

At the official market, the domestic currency recorded a N10.18 drop versus N1,666.72/$1,  valued at the previous session on Friday.

Equally at the black market, the Naira lost N4.76 against the greenback to close at N1,708.87 to the US Dollar compared to N1,704.11/$1 it closed on Friday.

The outcomes came as the weak supply gripping the marker cross paths with high seasonal demand placing pressure on the local currency.

This occurred as supply dropped further at the session as turnover published on the FMDQ Group website stood at $79.47 million indicating that the session’s turnover fell by 15.7 per cent, indicating that there was a decrease of $14.75 million compared to $94.22 million published the previous day.

With the year coming to a close, there has been a higher demand for FX but with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) limiting interventions, constraints have seen a volatile outcome for the local currency.

Equally, the domestic currency also witnessed losses against the British currency and the Euro in the week’s opening session.

On the Pound Sterling, the local currency made a loss of N3.38 to wrap the session at N2,160.63/£1 from N2,157.25/£1 that it sold at the previous session and against the Euro, the Nigerian currency closed at N1,816.40/€1 versus N1,814.79/€1, indicating an N1.61 depreciation.

The local currency also declined in its value against the British currency in the black market as it dropped by N9.63 to sell at N2,217.39/£1 compared with the preceding session’s N2,207.76/£1 and followed the same pattern against the Euro as it depreciated N10.73 to quote at N1,862.98/€1 versus the previous day’s rate of N1,852.25/€1.

The Naira, however, had a different trend against the Canadian Dollar as it appreciated by N1.66 to close at N1,222.33 per Canadian Dollar, compared to Friday’s N1,223.99 per CAD.

CBN’s limited capacity to sufficiently intervene across the market segments and suboptimal inflows from Foreign Portfolio Investors will continue to impact the trajectory of the local currency in coming weeks, analysts said.

Measures that don’t translate to more injection of FX into the pressured market will only provide temporary reprieve, they added.

Meanwhile, the CBN will soon begin to test run its automated FX platform to increase market confidence and reduce speculative trading.

The Naira appreciated by 0.5 percent against the US Dollar in the Nigerian Autonomous Foreign Exchange Market (NAFEX) on Friday following an N8.77 rise to close at N1,666.72/$1 compared with Thursday’s closing rate of N1,675.49/$1 despite worsening supply in the market.

The daily supply of FX as measured by secondary data from FMDQ Securities Exchange Limited indicated that turnover fell by $72.41 million or 43.5 per cent to $94.20 million from $166.61 million.

However, the local currency slid on the Pound Sterling and the Euro in the final session. For the British currency, the local currency depreciated by N10.10 and closed at N2,157.25/£1 from N2,147.15/£1 while it closed at the rate of N1,814.79/€1, a slump of N23.43 against N1,791.36/€1 against the Euro.

Meanwhile, the Naira rose further by N7.66 against the American in the parallel market segment to close at N1,704.11 to the US Dollar compared to N1,711.77/$1 it closed on Thursday.

Also, the domestic currency extended its gain against the British currency during the final session as the Naira made a further appreciation of N16 to trade at N2,207.76/£1 from N2,223.76/£1 that it sold at the previous session and against the Euro, it appreciated N14.82 to close at N1,852.25/€1 versus the previous day’s rate of N1,867.07/€1.

The local currency gained a marginal N1.62 to close at N1,233.99 per Canadian Dollar, compared to Thursday’s N1,235.61 per CAD.

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) at the recently concluded World Bank/IMF meetings held in Washington, DC last week said the foreign exchange market will not depend on the apex bank’s intervention for supply and stability.

This is evidenced by the stop of sales of Dollars to the market as it plans to improve supply organically without its intervention from time to time while maintaining balance in the market.

“While you might see us intervene from time to time, we are trying to ensure the market is not dependent on the intervention of the central bank.

“I think that we are looking at conditions that market return as much as possible to improve supply organically without the Central Bank having to put in money all the time,” the CBN deputy governor on economic policy, Mr Mohammed Abdullahi, disclosed.