Naira falls again, now N983/$1 as forex traders lament dollar to sell

The exchange rate between the naira and the dollar plunged to a record low N983/$1 at the black market based on quotes received Wednesday as currency traders said there no dollar to sell.

This represents a 2.93per cent drop when compared with the N955/$1 that it traded the previous day as the foreign exchange crisis in the country continues unabated.

This also shows a substantial depreciation from the N950/$1 that it traded last week as the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) appears to be still struggling to stabilize the foreign exchange market despite its various policy pronouncements.

Recall that in mid-August, the dollar was quoted as low as N955/$1, stoking fears among investors that the exchange rate might plummet to N1000/$1. This, however, appreciated at some point to N840/$1 after the apex bank warned speculators about potential major losses due to the policies it hopes to introduce.
In related news, trading on the official I&E window on September 20 witnessed the exchange rate between the naira and the dollar settling at N776.60/$1, a drop from N773.98/$1 the previous day. The intra-day high soared to N799.9/$1, whereas the intra-day low dipped to N720/$1.
Data from FMDQ Securities Exchange, a platform that oversees official FX trading in Nigeria, shows that a total of $71.01 million was traded at the I & E window, Nigeria’s official trading window.
Currency tracking platform AbokiFX also captured the exchange rate trades at N980/$1 on Wednesday.
A top official of the Association of Bureau De Change Operators of Nigeria (ABCON) who did not want to be mentioned said that the forex market is currently in disarray as most of the licensed operators do not have dollars to sell and as such out of business.