The Nigerian All-Share Index closed the 21st April 2026 trading session in positive territory, settling at 218,249.81 after gaining 135.97 points.
This modest uptick reflects a 0.06% increase from the previous day’s close of 218,113.84 points, extending the market’s gradual upward movement, with Lafarge leading large-cap stocks, up 9.64%.
Trading activity, however, softened as total volume declined to 842.4 million shares from 983 million, executed across 61,617 deals.
Despite weaker volume, market capitalization edged higher to N140.5 trillion from N140.4 trillion, with total transactions valued at N44.8 billion.
What the data is saying:
Trading sentiment remained broadly bullish on April 21, 2026, with the Nigerian market sustaining a strong year-to-date return of 40.26%.
- Nascon Allied and Union Dicon Salt led the gainers’ chart, posting advances of 10.00% and 9.92% respectively.
- On the downside, profit-taking pressures surfaced as Legend Internet and Abbey Mortgage Bank declined by 9.92% and 9.59%, respectively.
Access Holdings dominated trading volume with 110.8 million shares, followed by FCMB at 57.6 million and Fidelity Bank at 44.8 million shares.
Zenith Bank recorded 44.1 million shares traded, while United Bank for Africa also saw notable activity with 43.5 million shares exchanged.
By value, MTN Nigeria led with N6.5 billion in trades, trailed by Zenith Bank at N5.5 billion and GTCO at N3.8 billion, alongside Aradel and Access Holdings at N3.7 billion and N3.5 billion.
Top 5 Gainers
- Nascon — up 10.00% to N171.60
- Union Dicon Salt — up 9.92% to N19.95
- Lafarge Africa — up 9.64% to N273.00
- Trans-Nationwide Express — up 8.27% to N7.20
- UACN — up 7.84% to N110.00
Top 5 Losers
- Legend Internet — down 9.92% to N5.63
- Abbey Mortgage Bank — down 9.59% to N6.60
- Stanbic IBTC — down 8.96% to N154.50
- Access Holdings — down 8.83% to N29.95
- Veritas Kapital — down 7.50% to N1.85
Stocks Worth Over One Trillion (SWOOTS)
Among SWOOTS, Lafarge Africa advanced by 9.64% while Dangote Cement gained 3.28%, lending support to the market’s overall positive close.
On the downside, International Breweries fell 3.10%, BUA Cement declined 2.97%, Nigerian Breweries slipped 2.01%, and Wema Bank edged lower by 1.75%, reflecting pockets of sell pressure.
FUGAZ performance
FUGAZ stocks closed mixed, with First Holdco leading gains at 4.41% while GTCO posted a marginal increase of 0.08%.
On the downside, Access Holdings declined by 8.83%, UBA fell 3.46%, and Zenith Bank edged lower by 0.16%, reflecting broadly uneven sentiment across tier-one lenders.
What you should know
Despite softer trading activity, gains in large-cap stocks were sufficient to keep the index in positive territory, reflecting their continued influence on overall market direction.
At 218,249.81 points, the index has reached its highest level ever on a daily timeframe, marking a new milestone in the market’s ongoing rally.
While the market appears technically overbought above the 218,000 level, sustained momentum in large-cap names could still drive the index toward the 220,000-mark.
