Nigerian Stock Market Closes Week in Negative Territory
The Nigerian Exchange (NGX) ended Friday’s trading session in the red, with key indices declining by 0.56% amid profit-taking activities.
Market Performance Snapshot
- Market Capitalization dropped by ₦516 billion, closing at ₦92.214 trillion (down from ₦92.730 trillion).
- All-Share Index (ASI) fell by 815.80 points, settling at 145,754.91 (from 146,570.71).
Top Gainers & Losers
Despite the downturn, market breadth remained positive, with 42 gainers outweighing 29 losers.
Top Gainers:
- Champion Breweries (+10%) – Closed at ₦14.40
- Union Dicon Salt (+10%) – Closed at ₦9.90
- Universal Insurance (+10%) – Closed at ₦1.10
- Guinness Nigeria (+9.99%) – Closed at ₦155.75
- AXA Mansard (+9.99%) – Closed at ₦14.64
Top Losers:
- Abbey Mortgage Bank (-9.87%) – Closed at ₦6.30
- Custodian Investment (-8.48%) – Closed at ₦40.45
- Deap Capital Management (-7.53%) – Closed at ₦1.35
- The Initiates Plc (-7.34%) – Closed at ₦12.00
- Nigerian Police Force MFB (-7.25%) – Closed at ₦3.20
Trading Activity
- Total Volume: 2.21 billion shares (up from 1.98 billion)
- Total Value: ₦32.4 billion (up from ₦27.3 billion)
- Deals Executed: 35,036
Most Active Stocks:
- Linkage Assurance – 585.6 million shares (₦1.17bn)
- Universal Insurance – 213.19 million shares (₦234.5m)
- AIICO Insurance – 178.5 million shares (₦618.1m)
- Mutual Benefits Assurance – 137.84 million shares (₦402.46m)
- Sterling Nigeria – 115.27 million shares (₦927.4m)
Analyst Insight
David Adonri, Vice President of Highcap Securities, attributed the dip to a shift in investor focus following the signing of the Nigerian Insurance Industry Reform Act (NIIRA 2025).
“The market had been bullish due to strong half-year results, but the initial rush into insurance stocks lost momentum. No rally lasts forever—today’s correction is normal,” he noted.
Outlook
While short-term volatility persists, market watchers remain optimistic about a rebound as investors digest recent policy changes and corporate earnings reports.
Next Session: Traders will be watching for fresh catalysts to drive market direction in the coming week.
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