The Nigerian All-Share Index ended Friday, March 6, 2026, in positive territory, adding 161 points to close at 196,968.1, representing a modest 0.08% gain amid a quiet trading session.
Market activity softened as investors exchanged 586 million shares across 62,699 deals, slightly lower than Thursday’s 633 million shares, signaling cautious participation.
Equity capitalization remained above N126.43 trillion, showing stability in the market despite the slight slowdown in overall trading volumes.
Shares of GTCO and Aradel dominated value traded, with N4.6 billion and N3.7 billion worth of shares changing hands, respectively.
What the data is saying
Market momentum remained slightly bullish on March 6, 2026, with the year-to-date return holding steady at 26.58%.
Buying interest lifted select stocks, with Eterna and Premier Paints rising 10% and 9.77%, while profit-taking pressured RT Briscoe and Mecure, which fell 10% and 9.96%, respectively.
In terms of volume, First HoldCo led with 43.9 million shares, followed by Access Holdings (43.2 million) and Zenith Bank (39.9 million), with GTCO and Jaiz Bank seeing notable activity at 38.8 million and 31.5 million shares.
By value, GTCO topped turnover at N4.6 billion, ahead of Aradel Holdings (N3.79 billion), Zenith Bank (N3.71 billion), Okomu Oil (N2.3 billion), and First HoldCo (N2.2 billion).
Top 5 Gainers
- Eterna — up 10.00% to N42.35
- Premier Paints — up 9.77% to N14.60
- Union Dicon — up 9.70% to N16.40
- Fortis Global Insurance — up 9.56% to N1.49
- John Holt — up 9.25% to N9.45
Top 5 Losers
- RT Briscoe — down 10.00% to N12.06
- SCOA — down 9.96% to N34.35
- ABC Transport — down 9.96% to N6.24
- Mecure — down 9.96% to N61.50
- Berger Paints — down 9.93% to N66.65
SWOOTs Performance
Among SWOOTs (stocks valued above N1 trillion), performance was mixed on the day.
- Dangote Sugar led the gainers with a 4.39% increase, followed by BUA Cement up 2.74%, Nigerian Breweries rising 2.5%, Dangote Cement adding 0.62%, and Wema Bank climbing 0.55%.
- On the flip side, International Breweries fell 8.72%, and MTN Nigeria declined 0.63%,
FUGAZ Performance
- GTCO closed the day flat, showing no change in price.
- First HoldCo declined 0.95%, while Access Holdings shed 0.19%, Zenith Bank fell 0.11%, and UBA slipped 0.10%, reflecting mild selling pressure across the banking and financial segment.
What you should know
Despite the bullish action, lower volumes suggest cautious trading as investors weigh their next move toward the 200,000 threshold.
- Technically, the market is overbought and may see select stocks begin to retrace or dip.
- Any potential pullback is expected to be shallow or moderate, depending on the intensity of selling in upcoming sessions.
The All-Share Index closing at 196,968.1 points marks the highest level the market has reached so far.
