FRI SEPT 18 2026-theGBJournal| The Nigerian equities market closed bullish for the sixth straight trading session Thursday on renewed optimism in the Industrial sector.
The NGX All-Share Index (ASI) advanced by 0.62%, bringing its year-to-date (YTD) return to 58.29%, while market capitalisation advanced by 0.74% to N159.89 trillion.
Trading activity improved, with total trading volume increasing by 64.53% to 1085.91 million shares, while total transaction value rose by 15.77% to ₦43.42 billion.
Similarly, market breadth remained positive, with 28 gainers against 21 losers, while 77 stocks closed unchanged, reflecting broad-based buying pressure across the market.
Sectoral performance was largely positive. The Industrial Index recorded the strongest gain, increasing by 2.89%, while the Consumer Goods Index recorded the steepest decline, falling by 0.74%.
FIDELITYBK led trading by volume value, with 142.04 million shares exchanged, and transactions worth ₦10.30 billion.
On the gainers’ chart, BUACEMENT and BETAGLASS recorded the strongest price appreciation, while TRANSPOWER and LEGENDINT posted the steepest declines.
The NASD OTC market closed Thursday’s session on a negative note, as the NASD Security Index (NSI) declined by 1.49% to 4,436.04 points.
Market capitalisation also declined by 1.49% to N2.66trn, while the market’s year-to-date (YTD) return moderated to 25.18% from 27.07% in the previous session.
Trading activity improved significantly, with traded volume increasing by 6,276.01% to 2.73mn units, while transaction value increased by 2,318.33% to N57.42 million.
A total of 23 trades were executed, representing a 155.56% increase from the previous session.
At the currency market, the naira depreciated marginally against the U.S. dollar, with the USD/NGN pair rising by 0.01% to close at ₦1,330/$.
Meanwhile, Nigeria’s external reserves increased by 0.11% to $54.67 billion as of 16 September 2026, extending the recent improvement in the country’s reserve position.
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