Nigeria Raises 100 Bln Naira In Treasury Bills

LAGOS, NOVEMBER 1, 2017 (REUTERS) - Nigeria raised 100.84 billion naira ($320.64 million) at a treasury bill auction on Wednesday as traders locked in yields in anticipation of higher liquidity from repayments.

The central bank sold 74.76 billion naira of one-year debt at a rate of 15.53 percent, slightly lower than the previous auction, traders said. It had initially offered to sell 54.35 billion naira in that maturity.

Traders said the bank also sold 12.98 billion naira of six month bills and 13.09 billion naira of 91-day paper at 13.1 percent, unchanged from the last auction.

Traders said around 420 billion naira in open market bills was expected to hit the banking system on Thursday, which spurred buying at the auction.

Nigeria’s central bank issues treasury bills regularly to help lenders manage their liquidity, curb rising inflation and provide naira to help the government fund its budget. ($1 = 314.5000 naira) (Reporting by Chijioke Ohuocha; Editing by Mark Heinrich)