Naira depreciates to N1,700/$ at parallel market — lowest in seven months

The naira depreciated to N1,700 per dollar at the parallel section of the foreign exchange (FX) market on Friday.

At the end of trading hours, the naira depreciated by 1.49 percent compared to the N1,675/$ traded on Thursday.

The N1,700 per dollar is the lowest the naira has depreciated since February 19, when the naira recorded a low of N1,730/$.

Currency traders, also known as street traders, in Lagos, quoted the buying rate of the local currency at N1,680/$ and the selling rate at N1,700/$ — leaving a profit margin of N20.

At the official window, the local currency appreciated by 2.24 percent from N1,576.1/$ on Thursday to trade at N1,540.78 on Friday.

According to FMDQ Exchange, a platform that oversees the official window, a dollar was sold as high as N1,691 and at a low rate of N1,530. during trading hours.

WEEK-LONG FLUCTUATIONS

At the parallel market on Monday, the naira depreciated to N1,665/$ from N1,663 on September 20.

Maintaining the depreciation streak, the local currency fell further to N1,670 and N1,680 on Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively.

However, the naira rebounded to N1,675 on Thursday.

At the official FX market, the local currency depreciated to N1,562.66 on Monday — from N1,541.52 on September 20.

Subsequently, the naira further depreciated to N1,658.48 on Tuesday and N1,667.72 on Wednesday, before appreciating to N1,576.1 on Thursday.

On January 29, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) said it had begun implementing a comprehensive plan to improve liquidity in the Nigerian FX markets in the short, medium, and long term.

The apex bank said the FX reforms were designed to streamline and harmonise multiple exchange rates, promote transparency, and lessen the likelihood of arbitrage opportunities.

On September 25, Olayemi Cardoso, governor of CBN, said the multiple interest rate hikes have restored confidence in the naira.