The Nigerian equities market ended Monday, 12 January 2026, on a positive note as the All-Share Index (ASI) rose 946.6 points to 163,244.7 points, clearing the 163,000 threshold.
Trading activity surged, with 1.14 billion shares changing hands, up from 624 million in the previous session, reflecting stronger investor participation.
Market capitalization rose to N104.5 trillion across 59,359 deals, compared with N103.7 trillion on Friday.
What the data is saying
The ASI’s 0.58% gain on Monday lifted the year-to-date performance to 4.90%, reflecting ongoing investor confidence.
Top gainers were Deap Capital Management, Etranzact, UPDC, McNichols, RT Briscoe, and Red Star Express, each rising 10.00%, while Champion and Eunisell led the losers, falling 8.51% and 8.01%, respectively.
On the volume front, Sovereign Trust Insurance recorded the highest activity with 307.4 million shares traded, followed by Fidelity Bank with 158.3 million and LinkAssure with 118.7 million.
Mutual Benefits Assurance and Lasaco completed the top five, trading 31.4 million and 31 million shares, respectively.
By transaction value, Fidelity Bank topped the session with N3.1 billion, followed by Aradel at N1.4 billion, Zenith Bank at N1.1 billion, Eunisell at N1.05 billion, and Sovereign Trust Insurance at N1 billion.
Top 5 gainers
- ETRANZACT — Up 10.00% to N16.50
- REDSTAREX — Up 10.00% to N11.55
- MCHNICHOLS — Up 10.00% to N6.05
- UPDC — Up 10.00% to N5.50
- RTBRISCOE — Up 10.00% to N3.96
Top 5 losers
- CHAMPION — Down 8.51% to N15.05
- EUNISELL — Down 8.01% to N156.20
- IKEJAHOTEL — Down 8.00% to N36.80
- GUINEANS — Down 7.30% to N1.27
- OMATEK — Down 3.12% to N1.24
SWOOTs and FUGAZ
Stocks worth over one trillion naira (SWOOTs) showed a broadly bullish trend during the session, with Lafarge up 6%, Nigerian Breweries rising 4%, Aradel gaining 3.73%, and International Breweries advancing 0.68%.
- On the downside, Stanbic IBTC slipped 0.09%.
Among the FUGAZ banking stocks, First Holdco rose 5.21%, Access Holdings gained 1.55%, GTCO added 0.25%, while UBA and Zenith Bank closed flat.
Why this matters
The ASI’s ability to hold above 163,000 points indicates sustained confidence in key equities early in 2026.
Robust performance in mid- and large-cap stocks suggests the market may see a more stable upward trend instead of sharp speculative spikes.
Market outlook
The All-Share Index has closed above the 163,000 threshold, as bullish momentum continues to drive both large- and mid-cap stocks higher.
If buying interest remains sustained and broad-based, the market could extend its rally further; however, the possibility of a retracement remains, as the market appears overbought.
