The Nigerian equities market ended the trading week on a bullish note on Friday, reinforcing investor optimism as sustained buying interest pushed the benchmark index higher despite pockets of profit-taking across major sectors.
At the close of trading, the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) All-Share Index advanced by 0.26 percent to settle at 250,385.47 points, further cementing the market’s strong performance in 2026. The latest gain lifted the year-to-date return to an impressive 60.90 percent, while investors collectively added N414.52 billion to market capitalisation, which closed at N160.51 trillion.
The positive outing underscores continued confidence in Nigerian equities amid strategic portfolio rebalancing and renewed appetite for fundamentally strong stocks, particularly within the oil and gas, insurance, and commodity segments.
However, market breadth closed negative at 0.85x, indicating that decliners outweighed gainers despite the overall rise in the benchmark index. A total of 34 stocks recorded losses compared to 29 gainers, highlighting selective accumulation by investors rather than a broad-based rally.
Among the laggards were AUSTINLAZ, PREMPAINTS, CAP, LIVINGTRUST, and JOHNHOLT, all of which posted notable declines as investors booked profits following recent rallies. On the flip side, SOVRENINS, ZICHIS, INTENEGINS, MCNICHOLS, and ARADEL emerged as the market’s top gainers, buoyed by renewed investor demand and speculative positioning.
Sectoral performance reflected a mixed trading pattern across the market. The Oil and Gas index led sectoral gainers with a robust 4.53 percent increase, driven largely by sustained interest in energy stocks amid improving earnings expectations. The Commodity index followed with a 3.12 percent gain, while the Insurance sector appreciated by 2.30 percent as bargain hunters intensified positions in undervalued counters.
Conversely, the Banking sector shed 0.69 percent, weighed down by mild selloffs in some tier-one lenders. Consumer Goods stocks declined by 0.49 percent, while the Industrial index dipped marginally by 0.05 percent.
Trading activity strengthened significantly, reflecting heightened market participation and stronger investor engagement. Total volume traded rose by 113.57 percent to 1.2 billion shares, while turnover climbed 59.55 percent to N43.43 billion. Deal count also rose by 42.58 percent to 93,626 transactions..
Analysts believe the sustained momentum reflects improving sentiment around corporate earnings resilience, liquidity inflows, and investors’ search for inflation-beating returns in the equities market.
Looking ahead to Monday’s trading session, market analysts at Cowry Asset expect the bullish sentiment to persist, supported by continued investor confidence, portfolio repositioning, and sustained interest in high-performing sectors of the market.
