The Nigerian All-Share Index broke the 170,000-point barrier for the first time, surging 1,975.2 points to close at 170,005.4.
The move represents a 1.18% gain from the previous session’s 168,030.2 points, with large-cap Seplat stealing the spotlight after hitting the 10.00% daily gain limit.
The breakout was backed by stronger trading activity, as market volume climbed to 712.9 million shares from 694.7 million shares a day earlier.
Market capitalisation also jumped to N109.1 trillion across 46,104 deals, up from N107.8 trillion in the prior session, reflecting rising investor confidence.
What the data is saying
The ASI’s strong daily advance pushed its year-to-date return to 9.25%, as the market firmly held above the 170,000-point level.
On the gainers’ chart, Seplat, Coronation Infrastructure (CNIF), and Guinea Insurance each posted the maximum 10% gain. On the flip side, Deap Capital and Universal Insurance recorded declines of 9.62% and 9.43%, respectively.
Access Holdings dominated trading by volume with 106.6 million shares exchanged, followed by CHAMS (44.5 million) and Champion (44.4 million). Universal Insurance and Deap Capital completed the top five.
By value, Geregu led transactions worth N2.8 billion, ahead of Access Holdings (N2.4 billion), Seplat (N1.8 billion), Zenith Bank (N1.6 billion), and Aradel (N1.5 billion).
Top 5 Gainers
- Guinea Insurance — up 10.00% to N1.43
- CNIF — up 10.00% to N110.00
- Seplat — up 10.00% to N7,370.00
- RT Briscoe — up 9.95% to N11.49
- Neimeth — up 9.90% to N11.10
Top 5 Losers
- Deap Capital — down 9.62% to N6.20
- Universal Insurance — down 9.43% to N1.44
- HMCall — down 9.09% to N4.00
- Red Star Express — down 9.04% to N15.60
- UPDC — down 7.02% to N5.30
SWOOTs and FUGAZ
Performance among SWOOTs (stocks worth over N1 trillion) was mostly bullish. Seplat surged 10.00%, MTNN gained 3.65%, and Dangote Cement rose 1.55%.
On the downside, International Breweries slipped 0.66%.
Across the FUGAZ banking stocks, First HoldCo advanced 2.05%, followed by Access Holdings up 0.88%, UBA gaining 0.23%, and GTCO rising 0.20%.
Conversely, Zenith Bank closed lower, shedding 0.27%.
Why this matters
The ASI’s decisive break above 170,000 marks a major shift in market momentum, confirming renewed investor confidence after a period of consolidation.
Gains in key SWOOT and FUGAZ names such as Seplat, MTNN, Dangote Cement, First HoldCo, and Access Holdings highlight strong participation from market heavyweights.
With volumes improving and large-cap stocks driving the rally, the market presents near-term opportunities, though investors may still need to stay selective as price swings remain.
Market outlook
The market’s daily break above the 170,000-point level signals sustained upward momentum and a renewed wave of positive price action, particularly among large-cap stocks.
If buying interest continues across large-cap and select mid-cap counters, the index could extend its advance and firmly move beyond the 170,000 mark in the near term.
