LAGOS, Sept 1 (Reuters) - The Nigerian naira firmedagainst the U.S. dollar on Monday, supported by dollar sales bythe local unit of Royal Dutch Shell, dealers said.
The local unit closed at 162.40 naira to the dollar, firmerthan 162.55 naira it closed at on Friday.
Shell sold an undisclosed amount on Monday, increasingdollar liquidity on the interbank.
The naira has traded around 161.70-162.55 last week on theback of dollar flows from energy companies and some offshoreinvestors buying local debt in the wake of inclusion ofNigeria's 2024 bond in the JP Morgan index.
"We expect more dollar sales from some oil firms, includingNNPC (state-owned oil firm) and offshore investors in the comingday to boost the naira," one dealer said. (Reporting by Oludare Mayowa; Editing by Tom Heneghan)
