The Nigerian All-Share Index (ASI) jumped 2,592.6 points on Tuesday, January 13, 2026, crossing the 165,000-mark as large-cap MTN hit the 10% daily limit.
Starting the day at 163,244.7, the index advanced by 1.59% to settle at 165,837.3, supported by a market volume of 1.13 billion shares.
Market capitalization tracked the upbeat performance, rising to N106.1 trillion across 49,216 deals, up from N104.5 trillion recorded in the previous session.
What the data is saying
Tuesday’s 1.59% rally in the All-Share Index pushed the market’s year-to-date return for 2026 higher to 6.57%, reinforcing the ongoing bullish tone.
Leading the gainers’ chart were DEAP Capital, Caverton, eTranzact, PZ, and MTN, each posting the maximum daily gain of 10%.
Losses were relatively mild, with Universal Insurance and Prestige Insurance recording the steepest declines, down 6.25% and 5.81%, respectively.
- Trading activity was most pronounced in Sovereign Trust Insurance, which dominated volumes with 343.5 million shares exchanged.
- Access Holdings followed with 86.2 million shares, while eTranzact recorded 61.1 million shares.
- Linkage Assurance and Chams rounded out the top five by volume, trading 49.9 million and 35.3 million shares, respectively.
In value terms, MTN Nigeria led the market with trades worth N10.8 billion. Seplat followed at N2.1 billion, while Access Holdings, GTCO, and Zenith Bank recorded transaction values of N1.98 billion, N1.93 billion, and N1.6 billion, respectively.
Top 5 gainers
- DEACAP — Up 10.00% to N3.63
- CAVERTON — Up 10.00% to N7.70
- ETRANZACT — Up 10.00% to N18.15
- PZ — Up 10.00% to N58.30
- MTNN — Up 10.00% to N605.00
Top 5 losers
- UNIVINSURE — Down 6.25% to N1.20
- PRESTIGE — Down 5.81% to N1.62
- REGALINS — Down 5.17% to N1.10
- ACADEMY — Down 5.06% to N7.50
- ROYALEX — Down 3.98% to N1.93
SWOOTs and FUGAZ
Large-cap stocks valued at over one trillion naira (SWOOTs) delivered a largely positive outing during the session.
- MTN Nigeria led the pack with a strong 10% gain, while Nigerian Breweries increased by 3.67%.
- International Breweries edged up 0.67%, Lafarge Africa added 0.63%, and Stanbic IBTC posted a modest 0.09% increase.
Within the FUGAZ banking names, sentiment was mostly upbeat.
- UBA advanced by 4.43%, First HoldCo rose 2.06%, Zenith Bank gained 1.49%, and GTCO closed slightly higher with a 0.05% uptick.
On the downside, Access Holdings was the lone laggard among the group, slipping by 0.22%.
Why this matters
The market’s move above the 165,000 level reflects strengthening investor confidence at the start of 2026, with buying interest extending beyond mid-cap counters.
Broad-based gains across SWOOTs and leading banking stocks signal renewed appetite for fundamentally strong, large-cap equities, suggesting the rally is being driven by depth and balance rather than short-term momentum alone.
Market outlook
Continued participation from investors could see the rally gain further traction, but stretched price levels suggest the market may pause or correct slightly as profit-taking sets in.
