The Nigerian All-Share Index wrapped Monday’s trading on 23 March 2026 in the red, down 2,142.8 points to close at 199,014.0, a 1.07% decline from Wednesday’s pre-holiday session.
Market volume slowed to 848 million shares, traded over 139,458 deals, down sharply from six billion shares in the previous session, as investors likely approached cautiously.
Market capitalization settled at N127.7 trillion, down from N129.1 trillion, shedding over N1.4 trillion, as investors likely trimmed positions amid broad-based market weakness.
Zichis Agro-Allied Industries, whose trading suspension was lifted by the Nigerian Exchange, jumped 9.91%, ranking second on the advancers’ table.
What the data is saying
Market sentiment weakened on 23 March 2026, trimming the Nigerian market’s year-to-date return to 27.89% from 29.27% in the previous session.
- Presco and Zichis led the gainers, rising 10.00% and 9.91%, respectively, showing pockets of buying interest despite broader market softness.
- On the downside, profit-taking pressured Consolidated Hallmark and Deap Capital, which fell 9.64% and 8.37%, respectively.
In volume terms, UBA recorded the highest activity with 114.1 million shares, followed by Wema Bank at 111.9 million and Access Holdings at 54.7 million shares.
- Zenith Bank saw 38.1 million shares traded, with Zichis at 32.2 million, highlighting sustained interest in large-cap stocks.
By market value, MTN led with N17.4 billion, followed by UBA at N5.5 billion, Zenith Bank at N4.08 billion, GTCO at N3.5 billion, and Dangote Cement at N3.2 billion.
Top 5 Gainers
- Presco — up 10.00% to N1,871.20
- Zichis Agro Allied — up 9.91% to N9.43
- John Holt — up 9.70% to N13.00
- Premier Paints — up 9.62% to N25.65
- Fortis Global — up 9.45% to N1.39
Top 5 Losers
- Consolidated Hallmark Plc — down 9.64% to N4.50
- Deap Capital — down 8.37% to N5.91
- GTCO — down 8.18% to N105.00
- International Energy Insurance — down 7.67% to N2.77
- Nigerian Breweries — down 7.28% to N70.00
SWOOTs Performance
Among SWOOTs—stocks with market capitalizations above N1 trillion—performance was mostly negative, with Nigerian Breweries down 7.28%, MTN Nigeria down 6.46%, Wema Bank slipping 3.33%, and International Breweries down 3.2%.
On the upside, only Lafarge gained, rising 1.24%, showing limited positive momentum within the large-cap segment.
FUGAZ Performance
Within the FUGAZ banking group, performance was mixed: GTCO fell 8.18%, Zenith Bank lost 2.27%, and UBA declined 0.72%.
On the positive side, First Holdco rose 1.13%, and Access Holdings gained 0.78%.
What you should know
The daily decline of 1.07% marks the market’s third consecutive drop, which began on 17 March 2026.
The index has fallen below the 200,000 threshold it crossed last week, driven by losses in large-cap companies.
The depth of the market’s decline will likely depend on how long bearish momentum persists in large-cap stocks.
