Investors gain N804.56bn in bullish rally

The Nigerian equities market sustained its bullish momentum on Tuesday, extending a multi-session rally that saw the benchmark All-Share Index (ASI) climb by 0.65%.

The index closed at an impressive 196,263.55 points, up from 194,989.77 points in the previous session, as sustained buying interest in blue-chip stocks continues to drive the market toward historic peaks.

This upward movement translated into a massive ₦804.56 billion gain for investors, further strengthening the Year-to-Date (YTD) return to 26.12%.

Despite the surge in the primary index, market breadth remained slightly bearish, as 34 stocks declined against 33 gainers, indicating a highly selective picking strategy by investors during the session.
The session was characterized by dominant performances from agriculture and healthcare heavyweights.

OKOMUOIL and FTGINSURE led the gainers' chart, with the former recording a maximum daily gain of 10.00%. Other notable top performers included FIDSON, which surged by 9.90%, and SKYAVN, which rose by 9.83%.

Tier-1 banking stocks also contributed significantly to the day's gains, with ZENITHBANK and GTCO appreciating by 2.83% and 1.69% respectively, while UBA and NB posted more modest gains.

Conversely, TIP emerged as the primary decliner, leading the 34 stocks that finished in the red.

Activity levels saw a significant spike, with the total volume of shares traded jumping by 57.07% to 1.29 billion units.

This volume was valued at ₦31.50 billion across 95,091 deals. JAPAULGOLD dominated the volume charts, moving 473.98 million units and accounting for over 36% of the day’s total volume. In terms of liquidity and value, the energy giant ARADEL led the pack with ₦4.14 billion in transactions, representing 13.14% of the total market value traded for the day.

Complementing the broad market gains, the Proshare memorandum index also closed in the green.

The price-weighted return advanced by 1.14% to settle at 1,174.01 points, while the float-adjusted return showed even stronger growth, rising 1.75% to close at 865.76 points.

This broad-based appreciation across various indices suggests that while the market is becoming more competitive, the underlying appetite for Nigerian equities remains robust as the first quarter of 2026 progresses.