Stock Market Sustains Gain By N652bn

The Nigerian stock market performance strengthened on Tuesday, gaining N652 billion as investors interest in blue-chip stocks persisted.

The All-Share Index (ASI) gained by 1,005.27 points, representing a growth of 0.41 per cent to close at 244,304.51 points. Accordingly, market capitalisation rose by N652 billion to close at N158.399 trillion.

The upturn was impacted by gains recorded in medium and large capitalised stocks, amongst which are; Aradel Holdings, Nigerian Exchange Group, HBM Nigeria, Nigerian Breweries and Zenith Bank.

Market breadth turned positive at 34 gainers versus 26 losers, compared with 20 gainers and 28 losers previously. Nigerian Exchange Group led the gainers by 9.95 per cent, Aradel Holdings followed with a gain of 9.52 per cent, while Sovereign Trust Insurance rose by 9.0 per cent.

On the losing side, Ecobank Transnational Incorporated (ETI) led the decline by 10 per cent. Trans-Nationwide Express followed with a loss of 9.93 per cent, while AVA Capital shed 9.90 per cent.

Looking ahead, Imperial Asset Managers Limited said sentiment is expected to remain cautiously positive following today’s broader advance and stronger trading activity.

“However, the ongoing Dangote Petroleum Refinery IPO may continue to compete for domestic liquidity as investors rebalance portfolios during the offer period. Investor attention should also remain on Nigeria’s FTSE Russell reclassification to Frontier Market status, effective from the open on September 21, 2026, which could improve international visibility and support medium-term foreign participation.

“Near-term performance is therefore likely to remain selective, with bargain hunting in fundamentally strong counters balanced against intermittent profit-taking and liquidity rotation into the IPO,” the firm said.