…NASD Security Index fell 1.75% to 4,348.76 points.
WED AUG 19 2026-theGBJournal| Nigeria’s equities market retreated on Tuesday as investors locked in gains from recent rallies, sending the benchmark index lower and trimming the market’s year-to-date advance.
The NGX All-Share Index fell 0.35% to 241,611.23 points, while total market capitalisation declined by the same margin to N155.97 trillion.
The pullback moderated the market’s year-to-date return to 55.26%, from 55.81% at the previous close.
The sell-off was concentrated in several large and actively traded stocks, with profit-taking in First HoldCo, Fidelity Bank and NGX Group outweighing gains elsewhere in the market.
First HoldCo fell 5.71%, Fidelity Bank dropped 6.59% and NGX Group declined 3.83%. Their losses contrasted with gains in Nigerian Breweries, AccessCorp and HMCALL, which rose 1.47%, 0.37% and 9.97%, respectively.
The breadth of the decline underscored the defensive tone.
Thirty-seven stocks closed lower against 22 gainers, leaving the market breadth ratio at 0.59x.
Red Star Express was the session’s worst performer, falling 10%, while HMCALL posted the strongest gain at 9.97%.
Trading was mixed, suggesting that the decline was driven more by selective selling than a broad withdrawal of liquidity.
Volume fell sharply by 67.69% to 429.84 million shares, but the value of transactions increased 19.86% to N27.48 billion.
Sterling Financial Holdings led the volume table with 16.05 million shares traded, while MTN Nigeria dominated by value, accounting for N9.76 billion worth of transactions despite closing unchanged.
The decline comes against a backdrop of substantial gains in Nigerian equities this year, leaving some investors inclined to lock in profits after the market’s extended rally.
The latest retreat therefore represents a modest pullback rather than a reversal of the broader year-to-date trend.
NASD market also retreats
The bearish sentiment extended to Nigeria’s over-the-counter market, where the NASD Security Index fell 1.75% to 4,348.76 points.
Market capitalisation on the NASD OTC market declined by 1.75% to N2.61 trillion, while its year-to-date return moderated sharply to 22.72%, from 24.90% in the previous session.
Trading activity weakened considerably. Volume plunged 82.56% to 113,728 units, while transaction value fell 12.35% to N9.34 million across 31 trades.
There were no gainers on the NASD market during the session.
SDC Securities led the decliners, falling 9.42%.
Naira weakens marginally
In the foreign-exchange market, the official naira rate weakened slightly, depreciating by 2 basis points to N1,350.46 per dollar.
The modest currency movement contrasts with the sharper adjustment in equities, where profit-taking in banking and other heavyweight stocks was the main drag on the market.
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