The NGX Premium Index ended 2025 higher than the broader Nigerian All-Share Index, rising 59.40% to 15,493.2 points, a gain of 5,773.4 points.
After opening the year at 9,719.8 points, the sub-index pushed past the 15,000 level, supported by trading activity of over 32 billion shares.
Over the same period, the All-Share Index rose 51.19%, or 52,686.6 points, to close at 155,613, leaving the Premium Index ahead on a year-to-date basis.
July drove the third-quarter rally, with the Premium Index gaining 26.74% in the month and lifting Q3 performance to an 18.19% return, the strongest quarter of the year.
The NGX Premium Index tracks Nigerian Exchange companies with strong governance and liquidity, requiring at least N40 billion free float, N200 billion market capitalisation, and a 70% governance score to support investor confidence.
For full-year 2025, gains were broad, with seven of the eight premium stocks ending the year in positive territory.
MTN Nigeria Communications led the market in 2025, surging 155.50% to close at N511 from N200, marking its highest-ever price.
The rally began in Q1 with a 22.5% gain, followed by a strong Q2 breakout that saw the stock surpass N300, up 45.92%, with June standing out as a key month.
July pushed shares further to N472, before a brief pullback to N423 between August and September. A 22.96% rally in October carried MTN past N500, and it maintained this momentum to finish the year at N511.
On the financial side, MTN recovered from a N713.6 billion loss in 2024 to post a 9M 2025 pre-tax profit of N1.12 trillion. Revenue hit N3.73 trillion, led by data services, which grew 73% year-on-year to N1.97 trillion and contributed over 53% of total revenue.
The company’s market capitalization now stands at N10.72 trillion, representing 10.73% of the Nigerian Exchange market.
