Nigerian equities market closed the trading week on a bullish note upon resumption of trading after holidays on Friday.
Sustained buying interest pushed the benchmark index higher despite selective profit-taking across major sectors.
The Nigerian Exchange All-Share Index rose 0.26% to settle at 250,385.47 points, extending the market’s strong performance in 2026. The gain lifted year-to-date returns to 60.90%. Investors added N414.52 billion to market capitalisation, which closed at N160.51 trillion.
The performance reflects continued confidence in Nigerian equities, driven by strategic portfolio rebalancing and renewed appetite for fundamentally strong stocks in oil and gas, insurance, and commodities.
Data from equities market shows selective rally as breadth turns negative closing at 0.85x, with 34 stocks declining against 29 gainers. The pattern pointed to selective accumulation rather than a broad-based rally.
Stocks on the losers chart included AUSTINLAZ, PREMPAINTS, CAP, LIVINGTRUST, and JOHNHOLT, which posted notable losses as investors booked profits after recent rallies.
Top gainers were SOVRENINS, ZICHIS, INTENEGINS, MCNICHOLS, and ARADEL, buoyed by fresh demand and speculative positioning.
Sectoral performance was mixed. The Oil and Gas index led gainers with a 4.53% rise, supported by improving earnings expectations for energy stocks. The Commodity index advanced 3.12%, while the Insurance index climbed 2.30% as bargain hunters moved into undervalued counters.
On the downside, the Banking index fell 0.69% on mild selloffs in some tier-one lenders. Consumer Goods declined 0.49% and the Industrial index dipped 0.05%.
Investor participation strengthened significantly. Total volume traded jumped 113.57% to 1.2 billion shares, while turnover rose 59.55% to N43.43 billion. Deal count increased 42.58% to 93,626 transactions.
Analysts attributed the momentum to improving sentiment around corporate earnings resilience, fresh liquidity inflows, and demand for inflation-beating returns in equities.
Looking ahead, market analysts expect the bullish sentiment to persist into Monday’s session, supported by continued investor confidence, portfolio repositioning, and sustained interest in high-performing sectors.
