*As NAFEM turnover rises 155%

By Elizabeth Adegbesan

The Naira yesterday appreciated to N1,685 per dollar in the parallel market from N1,700 per dollar on Monday.

Similarly, the Naira appreciated to N1,659.26 per dollar in the Nigerian Autonomous Foreign Exchange Market, NAFEM.

Data from FMDQ showed that the indicative exchange rate for NAFEM fell to N1,659.26 per dollar from N1,669.15 per dollar on Wednesday, indicating N9.89 appreciation for the naira.

The volume of dollars traded (turnover) in the official market increased sharply by 155.2 percent to $450.39 million from $176.45 million traded on Wednesday.

Consequently, the margin between the parallel market and NAFEM rate narrowed to N25.74 per dollar from N30.85 per dollar on Wednesday.