The Nigerian equities market recorded a 0.54% daily gain, with the All-Share Index rising by 1,084.7 points to close at 202,559.6, as BUA Cement and tier-one banks gained.
This upward movement was supported by stronger trading activity, as volume increased to 1.75 billion shares from 948 million recorded in the previous session.
Market capitalization also rose to N130.02 trillion from N129.3 trillion, with a total of 62,654 deals executed during the day.
Banking stocks drove most of the market activity, with FCMB and Wema Bank leading trading volumes.
What the data is saying
Market sentiment remained positive on March 17, 2026, pushing the Nigerian market’s year-to-date return to 30.17% as investors continued to position in selected equities.
- BUA Cement and Premier Paints led the gainers’ chart, advancing by 10.00% and 9.86%, respectively.
On the losing side, profit-taking weighed on Presco and Caverton, which declined by 10.00% and 8.70%, respectively.
- In terms of trading volume, FCMB led with 516.2 million shares, followed by Wema Bank at 213.3 million and Zenith Bank with 163.1 million shares traded.
- Access Holdings recorded 123.8 million shares, while Guaranty Trust Holding Company followed with 100 million shares.
By market value, Zenith Bank led with N18.1 billion, followed by GTCO (N12.3 billion), MTN Nigeria (N8.9 billion), FCMB (N6.5 billion), and Aradel (N6.2 billion)
Top 5 Gainers
- BUA Cement — up 10.00% to N326.70
- Premier Paints — up 9.86% to N23.40
- Zenith Bank — up 7.91% to N111.15
- Nigerian Aviation Handling Company — up 7.14% to N175.60
- RT Briscoe — up 6.67 to N11.20
Top 5 Losers
- Presco — down 10.00% to N1,875.60
- Caverton — down 8.70% to N6.30
- Secure Electronic Technology — down 7.69% to N1.20
- Guinea Insurance — down 6.43% to N1.31
- International Breweries — down 6.35% to N14.00
SWOOTs Performance
Among the SWOOTs—stocks with market capitalizations above N1 trillion—performance was largely positive during the session, indicating increased activity across large-cap stocks.
BUA Cement rose 10.00%, Wema Bank gained 6.35%, Dangote Cement added 0.88%, while Lafarge Africa increased by 0.46%.
On the other hand, International Breweries Plc declined by 6.35%, MTN Nigeria fell 4.76%, while Nigerian Breweries Plc rose 2.56%.
FUGAZ Performance
Within the FUGAZ banking group, Zenith Bank gained 7.91%, UBA rose 6.04%, GTCO added 4.53%, First HoldCo increased by 4.00%, and Access Holdings gained 2.77%.
What you should know
The rise in activity was not driven by price movements alone, as market volume also increased significantly to 1.75 billion shares.
The Nigerian equities market crossed the N130 trillion value mark for the first time, with market capitalization rising alongside price gains.
Market activity suggests continued momentum, with FUGAZ banking stocks drawing attention as trading interest remains elevated.
