Nigerian Exchange Reaches New Peak as Investors Add ₦583bn

The Nigerian Exchange (NGX) delivered a strong performance this week, with the All-Share Index climbing to unprecedented levels as market participants added ₦583 billion in value.

Monday’s trading session marked the beginning of sustained upward momentum, which has continued to build investor confidence.

The benchmark index surged by 924.50 points, representing a robust 0.85% gain, to close at a record high of 109,953.12. This milestone reflects growing optimism among market participants and demonstrates the resilience of Nigeria’s capital market.

Despite the positive price movements, trading activity showed a contrasting trend. Transaction volumes decreased by 34.98%, while the total value of trades fell by 38.78%. Market data reveals that 637.54 million shares worth ₦11.09 billion changed hands across 19,775 transactions.

Several blue-chip and mid-tier companies drove the market’s upward trajectory. ARADEL emerged as the session’s standout performer, posting impressive gains of 9.98%. Other notable performers included UPL (+9.86%), ABCTRANS (+8.43%), LINKASSURE (+8.16%), and CILEASING (+7.32%).

The rally was supported by strategic buying in fundamentally sound companies, with investors showing particular interest in ARADEL, BUAFOODS, and other quality stocks. This selective approach contributed significantly to the overall market capitalisation growth.

FIDELITYBK dominated trading volumes, accounting for 11.36% of total equity transactions. CUSTODIAN followed with 9.02%, while ACCESSCORP captured 8.73% of volume activity. GTCO and ZENITHBANK rounded out the top five most active stocks by volume.

In value terms, GTCO led with 15.76% of total trade value, highlighting continued interest in major banking stocks despite mixed sectoral performance.

The session concluded with positive market breadth, featuring 33 advancing stocks against 29 declining issues. However, not all stocks participated in the rally, with TRIPPLEG leading the decliners at -10.00%. Other notable losers included MRS (-9.97%), CUSTODIAN (-9.63%), and VFDGROUP (-9.32%).

Sectoral performance presented a mixed picture across the five major indices. The oil & gas sector posted strong gains of 3.02%, while consumer goods advanced 2.20%. Conversely, the insurance sector declined by 1.06%, and banking edged down by 0.02%. The industrial sector remained unchanged.

The overall market capitalisation expanded by ₦582.90 billion, pushing the total above ₦69 trillion and representing a growth of 0.85%. This performance reflects sustained investor appetite for quality equities and suggests continued confidence in Nigeria’s economic prospects.

The combination of record-high index levels and selective buying patterns indicates a maturing market, where investors are increasingly focused on fundamental value rather than speculative trading. This trend bodes well for long-term market development and stability.