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.
SCOA Plc ranked second on the list, delivering a remarkable 345.07% return to investors in January 2026.
The stock opened the month at N7.10, with over 4 million shares changing hands, and closed at N31.60 by the final trading day, marking January as the company’s best-performing month ever.
The first week of trading was largely stagnant, with little price movement, but bullish momentum began in the second week and gradually gained strength over the following weeks.
Investor interest built steadily throughout the month, culminating in the final week when the stock broke past N30.
The analysis above is quite impressive and mind blowing increase in the stock market industry.