TUE MAY 26 2026-theGBJournal| The Nigerian equities market closed on a bearish note Tuesday, as the benchmark index declined by 55bps, largely pressured by sell-offs in bellwether stocks such as GTCO (-3.0%), DANGSUGAR (-10.0%), FIRSTHOLDCO (-3.5%) and UNILEVER (-7.1%), bringing the Month-to-Date and Year-to-Date returns moderated to +3.1% and +60.5%, respectively.
Market activity weakened during the session, with trading volume declining by 10.35% to 563.77 million shares, while total value traded fell by 33.52% to 27.31 billion.
Market breadth remained negative, with 30 gainers against 34 decliners, reflecting lingering bearish sentiment across selected counters.
On the sectoral front, the banking sector dominated trading activity, topping the chart as the most traded sector by both value and volume, while the industrial goods sector emerged as the sole positive performer, closing flat.
On the performance chart, Austin Laz & Company Plc and McNichols Plc led the gainers’ table, while Dangote Sugar Refinery Plc and Transpower Plc topped the laggards’ list.
On the corporate front, several listed companies announced upcoming Annual General Meetings (AGMs).
At the currency market, the naira depreciated against the U.S. dollar, with the USD/NGN pair declining by 0.1% to N1,378.00/US$1
Meanwhile, Nigeria’s external reserves maintained their upward trajectory, rising by a further 7bps to $48.72 billion as of 19 May 2026.
In the commodities market, Brent crude oil prices advanced by 2.2% to settle at $97.53 per barrel. This is because of the tighter U.S. crude inventories and fears of prolonged supply constraints further supported oil prices.
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