The Nigerian equities market surged 4.36% on the Nigerian Exchange, gaining over 7,900 points to close at 190,262.44, marking its strongest daily performance so far in 2026.
More than five stocks hit the 10% daily gain limit, with heavyweights Aradel Holdings, Zenith Bank, Access Holdings, MTN, and Dangote Cement joining the advancers’ list as the All-Share Index crossed the 190,000-mark for the first time.
The rally was supported by strong trading activity, with 1.07 billion shares exchanged across 64,821 deals during the session.
Market capitalisation reflected the gains, rising to N122.1 trillion from N117.02 trillion recorded on Friday, while Aradel led trading value with N11.02 billion in transactions.
What the data is saying
Market momentum remains firmly bullish, with the ASI’s latest gain pushing year-to-date returns to 22.27% as large-cap stocks rallied more broadly.
Gains were driven by strong buying interest in select names, with Aradel Holdings, Beta Glass, Oando, Ikeja Hotel, Zichis Agro-Allied Industries, and Jaiz Bank all hitting their 10% daily upper limit.
On the downside, profit-taking pressured RT Briscoe and Deap Capital Management & Trust, which declined by 9.99% and 9.91%, respectively.
In terms of volume, Access Holdings Plc led with 86.7 million shares traded, followed by Oando (73.4 million), Zenith Bank Plc (69.2 million), Mutual Benefits Assurance Plc (67.1 million), and Japaul Gold and Ventures Plc (49.1 million).
By value, Aradel recorded the highest turnover at N11.02 billion, ahead of MTN (N7.5 billion), Zenith Bank (N5.9 billion), Guaranty Trust Holding Company Plc (N5.5 billion), and Nestle Nigeria Plc (N3.9 billion).
Top 5 Gainers
- Aradel — up 10.00% to N1,096.70
- Beta Glass — up 10.00% to N453.20
- Oando — up 10.00% to N44.00
- Ikeja Hotel — up 10.00% to N41.80
- Zichis — up 10.00% to N11.88
- Jaiz Bank — up 10.00% to N9.13
Top 5 Losers
- RT Briscoe — down 9.99% to N15.68
- DeapCap — down 9.91% to N7.64
- Caverton — down 9.62% to N7.05
- Guinea Insurance— down 9.27% to N1.37
- Tantalizer — down 8.11% to N5.10
- Cileasing — down 7.69% to N7.20
SWOOTs and FUGAZ Performance
Among SWOOTs (stocks valued above N1 trillion), performance was largely positive.
- Aradel Holdings Plc gained 10.00%, MTN Nigeria Communications Plc rose 9.99%, and Dangote Cement Plc advanced 9.95%.
- Lafarge Africa Plc added 5.04%, Nigerian Breweries Plc gained 3.21%, and Fidelity Bank Plc rose 1.91%.
In the FUGAZ banking segment, gains were broad-based.
- Zenith Bank Plc climbed 9.95%, Access Holdings Plc gained 8.87%, and Guaranty Trust Holding Company Plc rose 7.14%.
- United Bank for Africa Plc advanced 2.59%, while First Holdco Plc edged up 0.31%.
What to know
The Nigerian Exchange has now recorded eleven consecutive sessions of gains, following a period of relatively flat price movement.
- All-Share index closed at 190,281.6 points, surpassing the 190,000 level for the first time.
- The rally was largely driven by large-cap stocks across key sectors.
If buying momentum continues, the index could extend further above the 190,000-mark.
