The Nigerian Exchange delivered a strong start to 2026, gaining 6.27% in January as the All-Share Index rose by 9,757.4 points to close at 165,370.4.
This performance is a big step up from January 2025, when the index gained just 1.53%, showing stronger early-year momentum as market value climbed to N106.1 trillion.
Beyond price gains, trading activity improved, with over 15 billion shares exchanged versus 12 billion in January 2025, reflecting stronger investor participation.
The rally was driven by standout individual stocks, with the top 10 names posting gains of over 80%, highlighting the breadth of the market’s advance.
During the first three trading weeks of January, the market pushed the index above 166,000 for the first time ever, before a mild pullback in the final two weeks trimmed some gains.
Still, despite the late-month decline, returns among the top-performing stocks remained exceptional. Here are the top 10 stocks.
DEAP Capital Plc was the best-performing stock on the list, returning 394.21% to investors in January 2026.
The stock began the year at N1.90, with over 337 million shares changing hands, and closed January at N9.39.
All five trading weeks were positive, with the third week gaining 48.67%, before a 60% surge in the fourth week pushed the price above N7.
The rally gained extra momentum in mid-January after DEAP Capital signed an MoU with Banklink Africa’s Equity Fund II to finance minerals and metals projects across Africa, likely boosting investor confidence.
The analysis above is quite impressive and mind blowing increase in the stock market industry.