….as stock market opens year with N561bn gain
By Seun Ibiyemi
Investors traded a total of 7.821 billion shares valued at N134.471 billion in 150,799 deals on the Nigerian Exchange Ltd. (NGX) during the past week, representing a sharp increase in market activity.
The performance marked a significant rise from the previous week, when 2.876 billion shares worth N63.832 billion were exchanged in 80,229 deals.
As a result, the value of transactions on the NGX jumped by 110.6 per cent week-on-week.
Trading activities were recorded over four sessions, as the Federal Government declared Thursday, January 1, 2026, a public holiday to mark the New Year celebration.
This is as the Nigerian stock market extended its bullish momentum on Friday, the first trading day of the year, with investors recording N561 billion gain on the back of sustained buying interest in major stocks.
The Financial Services Industry dominated trading activities, accounting for 5.992 billion shares valued at N67.024 billion in 55,598 deals.
The sector contributed 76.61 per cent to the total equity turnover volume and 49.84 per cent to the total value.
The ICT Industry followed, with 946.959 million shares worth N8.028 billion traded in 15,443 deals, while the Consumer Goods Industry ranked third with a turnover of 258.820 million shares valued at N9.381 billion in 24,133 deals.
Trading in the three most active equities—Cornerstone Insurance Plc, CHAM Holding Company Plc and Access Holdings Plc—accounted for 5.317 billion shares valued at N37.361 billion in 10,441 deals.
This represented 67.97 per cent of the total turnover volume and 27.78 per cent of the market value.
At the close of the week, the NGX All-Share Index appreciated by 1.92 per cent to settle at 156,492.36 points, while market capitalisation rose by 2.09 per cent to N99.938 trillion.
Market breadth improved significantly, with 73 equities recording price appreciation, compared with 44 in the previous week.
Twenty-three equities declined in price, down from 30 previously, while 51 equities closed unchanged, lower than the 73 recorded in the preceding week.
Austinlaz, Aluminium Extrusion Industries, Eunisell Interlinked, Associated Bus Company and Honeywell Flour Mill emerged as the top gainers for the week, appreciating by N1.47, N7.45, N38.05, N1.24 and N5.25 respectively.
On the losers’ chart were Etranzact International, First Holdco, Livingtrust Mortgage Bank, CAP Plc and Champion Breweries, which shed N1.25, N4.20, 28 kobo, N5 and N1 respectively during the trading week.