The Nigeria stock market indices; All Share Index (ASI) and Market Capitalization declined by 2.4 percent to close at 26537.36 points and N9.12 trillion respectively at the end of the trade session this week8 The decline in the indices, which is attributed to the low subscription for stocks in the market, led to the partnership between Security and Exchange Commission (SEC) and Debt Management Office (DMO) to salvage the financial system.

The external reserves decreased week-on-week marginally by 0.2 percent from June 9, 2017 to June 16, 2017. The reserve declined from $30.27 billion to $30.21 billion. Given that crude oil revenue constitutes the most part of the reserve, the decline may be reflective of the week-on-week drop in global crude oil price (Crude oil price fell by approximately 2 percent to $47.377 per barrel as at June 16 2017). The ongoing forex intervention by the monetary authority also poses a challenge to foreign reserve conservation. Given the unimpressive performance of global oil prices in recent time, there is need to explore other areas with great potentials to generate foreign exchange earnings. Diversification of forex earnings remains the key to insulating foreign reserve against fluctuations in global commodity prices. The country can tap into solid minerals sector as alternative source of foreign exchange. Huge investment together with investor-friendly policies in solid minerals would make the sector attractive to investors.