Equities Investors Gain N3.84 Trillion in First Full Trading Week of 2026

Equities investors on the Nigerian Exchange Limited (NGX) recorded gains of N3.84 trillion in the first full trading week of 2026, as the market opened the year on a strongly bullish note, buoyed by renewed confidence across major sectors.

Total market capitalisation rose to N103.776 trillion, representing a 3.84 per cent week-on-week increase, according to the NGX Weekly Report.

The rally was driven by broad-based price appreciation and sustained buying interest in large- and mid-cap stocks.

Similarly, the NGX All-Share Index (ASI) advanced by 3.71 per cent to close at 162,298.08 points, up from 156,492.36 points in the previous week. The index gained 5,805.72 points, signalling strong market breadth and positive momentum at the start of the year.

Sectoral performance was largely positive, with most indices closing in the green. The NGX Premium Index led the rally with a 5.38 per cent gain, while the Insurance Index recorded the strongest sectoral performance, appreciating by 6.82 per cent.

The Banking, Pension, Industrial Goods, Oil and Gas, and Consumer Goods indices also posted notable weekly advances, reflecting improving investor sentiment across the board.

Market breadth further confirmed the bullish tone, as 84 equities appreciated in price, compared with 22 decliners, while 42 stocks closed unchanged, indicating a stronger tilt towards gainers relative to the preceding week.

Analysts attribute the sharp rise in market capitalisation and the ASI to portfolio rebalancing, bargain hunting in fundamentally strong stocks, and growing optimism around corporate earnings expectations.

With key indicators pointing upward, the NGX has sustained its positive trajectory into the new year, reinforcing equities’ appeal to both domestic and foreign investors.

Attention now turns to whether the momentum can be sustained amid evolving macroeconomic conditions and policy signals.

Meanwhile, trading activity moderated during the week as a total turnover of 4.164 billion shares valued at N94.026 billion was recorded in 248,254 deals, compared with 7.821 billion shares worth N134.471 billion traded in 150,799 deals in the previous week.

The Financial Services Industry dominated market activity by volume, with 2.651 billion shares valued at N35.957 billion exchanged in 93,706 deals, accounting for 63.67 per cent of total equity turnover volume and 38.24 per cent of value.

The Services Industry followed with 369.963 million shares worth N3.383 billion traded in 16,521 deals, while the ICT Industry ranked third, recording 297.938 million shares valued at N5.727 billion across 21,548 deals.

Trading in the three most active stocks by volume—Universal Insurance Plc, Linkage Assurance Plc and Access Holdings Plc—accounted for 1.261 billion shares valued at N5.060 billion in 13,819 deals, representing 30.28 per cent of total equity turnover volume and 5.38 per cent of overall value.