TUE JUNE 30 2026-theGBJournal| Nigeria’s equities market regained it’s composure on Tuesday, with gains in telecommunications and consumer goods stocks pushing the benchmark index higher and adding more than N650 billion to investors’ wealth, even as trading activity softened and the naira weakened at the official foreign exchange market.
The benchmark Nigerian Exchange (NGX) All-Share Index (ASI) advanced 0.45% to close at 229,419.18 points, lifting the market’s year-to-date return to 47.43%.
Market capitalisation increased by N652.77 billion to settle at N147.22 trillion.
The rally was largely driven by strong performances in Airtel Africa, which gained the maximum daily limit of 10%, alongside Dangote Sugar Refinery, which rose 4.87%, and Prestige Assurance, which also climbed 10%.
Their gains outweighed sharp declines in Custodian Investment, down 9.98%, PZ Cussons Nigeria, which lost 9.95%, and Honeywell Flour Mills, which fell 9.78%.
Despite the positive market close, investor participation eased from the previous session.
Total trading volume declined 2.99% to 966.66 million shares, while the value of transactions dropped 8.56% to N39.99 billion.
Linkage Assurance recorded the highest trading volume during the session, while Aradel Holdings accounted for the largest value of trades, with shares worth N11.59 billion exchanged.
Market breadth, however, remained negative, underscoring persistent weakness beneath the headline index.
Thirty-two stocks closed lower compared with 19 gainers, leaving the market breadth ratio at 0.59 times. Custodian Investment led the laggards, while Airtel Africa topped the gainers’ table.
In the over-the-counter market, the NASD Securities Index (NSI) rose 0.89% to 4,299.41 points, pushing market capitalisation to N2.58 trillion.
The market’s year-to-date return improved to 21.32%.
Trading activity on the NASD platform presented a mixed picture. Volume traded surged 268.95%, although the value of transactions declined 34.92% from the previous session.
Investors exchanged 846,063 shares worth N15.99 million across 25 deals.
On the NASD gainers’ chart, NIPCO Plc rose 8.92%, while GEF Fluid Services declined 10.13% to emerge as the session’s worst-performing stock.
Meanwhile, the Nigerian currency weakened in the official foreign exchange market, with the naira depreciating by 1.2% to close at N1,381.00 per U.S. dollar, reflecting renewed pressure in the country’s currency market.
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