Naira steady as oil firms sell dollars

Nigerian naira was broadly flat on the interbank market on Wednesday, supported by sales of around $38 million by two energy companies to banks.The Nigerian currency closed at N161.15 to the dollar on the inter-bank compared to N161.17 a dollar on Tuesday. “Demand and supply were evenly distributed as two oil companies Chevron and Addax sold about $38 million to some banks,” one banker said.
At the bi-weekly foreign exchange window, the central bank sold $250 million at N156.70 to the dollar, firmer than the N156.85 to the dollar at the previous auction of the same amount. The central bank did not provide information on the level of demand at the auction.
Bankers said the outlook for the naira will depend on the volume of dollar inflows from oil companies in the coming days. “We heard that the (state-owned energy company) NNPC will be selling dollars this week, this would boost liquidity in the market and provide support for the naira, otherwise, the naira will trend higher,” another dealer said.