The Naira continued to depreciate in the review week. At the parallel market, naira exchanged for N498/$ on January 27, 2017 and N500/$ on February 3, 2017. Despite the weekly sales of forex to BDCs and the significant improvements in the external reserves, the naira has continued to lose value to other currencies. The pressure on the naira has been triggered by escalating scarcity of forex in the spot market, likely due to forex hoarding. However, in the preceding week, the CBN sold $660 million in forwards contract in an attempt to manage liquidity and stabilize the naira. In the face of growing speculation in the parallel market, the monetary authority should institute mechanisms that would discourage excessive forex hoarding among licensed BDC operators. An initiative that monitors transaction dealings in the parallel market would go a long way in detecting erring BDC operators.

The naira continued its downward trajectory this week. Specifically, naira depreciated at the interbank segment by 3.45 percent to N300/$; and by 3.56 percent to 378/$ at the parallel segment. Despite the CBNs effort to support the naira with Forwards and FOREX futures, the excess demand for dollar continues to put pressure on the naira. Looking forward, the stabilization of exchange rate depends on the ability of the CBN and government to attract capital inflows; particularly by raising interest rate, tackling inflation and supporting economy recovery.

Available reports from the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation(NNPC), suggests a significant reduction in the cost incurred to produce one barrel of crude oil for the past two years. Specifically, the cost of production reduced by 71 percent from $78 as at August 2015, to $23 per barrel as at August 2017. This may be attributable to moderations in operational expenditures, following repairs and restructuring in the oil region.

All Share Index (ASI) and Market Capitalization declined by 13 percent to close at 23514.04 points and N8.09 trillion respectively at the end of the trade session on January 15. The huge drop in the Index, representing a 3-year low, led to the introduction of the Index Circuit Breakers Rule. While this policy measure may prevent huge losses in the stock market, rising concerns about macroeconomic stability in Nigeria may significantly increase the level of volatility in the stock market. This may have substantial adverse implications for investors in the Stock Exchange.