The Nigerian equities market closed the trading day ended 5 May 2026 in negative territory, shedding 1,411.37 points to settle at 241,750.15 amid mild selling pressure.
This represents a 0.58% decline from the previous close of 243,161.52, with large-cap stocks such as Wema Bank, MTN, and Aradel featuring among the day’s decliners.
Despite the bearish close, trading activity improved, as total volume climbed to 1.2 billion shares from 967.4 million recorded in the prior session.
Market capitalisation slipped to N155.1 trillion from N156.05 trillion, while GTCO recorded notable activity with trades valued at N13.09 billion.
What the data is saying
Trading sentiment turned negative on 5 May 2026, with the year-to-date return easing to 55.4%, slightly down from 56% recorded in the previous session.
- On the gainers’ chart, RT Briscoe, Vitafoam, McNichols, and Zichis Agro all posted strong advances, each appreciating by 10% to lead the day’s positive performers.
- However, bearish pressure emerged across select counters, with Guinness and Union Dicon leading the decliners’ chart after shedding 10.00% and 9.82%, respectively.
In terms of trading activity, FCMB led the volume chart with 160.5 million shares exchanged, followed by GTCO at 94 million units and Access Holdings at 81.7Â million units.
- Zenith Bank recorded a turnover of 63.05 million shares, while Fidelity Bank followed with 48.40 million shares, reflecting sustained participation across tier-one banking names.
On the value side, GTCO topped the chart with transactions worth N13.09 billion, ahead of MTNN at N10.7 billion, while Zenith Bank, Lafarge, and Aradel recorded N8.07 billion, N6.58 billion, and N5.83 billion, respectively.
Top 5 Gainers
- RT Briscoe — up 10.00% to N12.87
- Vitafoam — up 10.00% to N170.50
- McNichols — up 10.00% to N7.92
- Zichis — up 10.00% to N25.08
- Chemical and Allied — up 9.99% to N175.65
Top 5 Losers
- Guinness — down 10.00% to N447.30
- Union Dicon — down 9.82% to N19.75
- AIICO — down 9.28% to N4.30
- Wema Bank — down 8.72% to N30.35
- MTN Nigeria — down 8.63% to N836.00
SWOOTs PerformanceÂ
Among stocks worth over one trillion naira (SWOOTs), performance skewed negative, as Wema Bank fell 8.72%, MTN Nigeria declined 8.63%, Aradel dropped 5.81%, and Lafarge lost 2.21%.
On the positive side, Dangote Sugar advanced 9.98% while Dangote Cement gained 7.22%, with Nigerian Breweries recording a modest uptick of 1.33%.
FUGAZ Performance
Within the FUGAZ banking group, sentiment remained broadly negative, as First HoldCo declined 3.77%, Access Holdings fell 1.96%, UBA shed 1.87%, Zenith Bank dropped 0.93%, and GTCO eased 0.71%.
What You Should Know
The 0.58% decline in the All-Share Index snapped a four-session winning streak that had persisted since 28 April 2026, marking a shift in short-term market direction.
The combination of rising trade volumes and falling prices signals increased profit-taking activity, particularly across banking stocks, which had recently recorded strong gains.
Sectoral performance was mixed, with the NGX Banking Index down 1.22% and Oil & Gas losing 2.91%, while Industrial, Consumer Goods, and Insurance indices rose by 2.49%, 0.40%, and 0.94%, respectively.
