TUE SEPT 22 2026-theGBJournal| The NGX Exchange benchmark index rose to a record high of 250,156.80 points on Monday, while market capitalisation appreciated by 0.14% to close at N162.39 trillion.
This brought the ASI year-to-date return to 60.76%, up from 60.53% in the previous session.
The gains was driven by gains in bank stocks and optimism ahead of Central Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN) interest rate call which is expected to maintain its current policy stance.
Shares of banking giant ACCESSCORP rose +2.74%, while GTCO and ZENITHBANK rose +3.00% and +0.16% respectively-the three stocks now have combined market capitalisation of N11.80 trillion After Monday’s trading session.
Their gains offset losses recorded in UBA -0.79%, WEMA-0.16% and DANGSUGAR -0.07%.
Trading activity was mixed during the session, with total volume traded advancing by 14.40% to 574.19 million units, while transaction value declined sharply by 58.74% to N38.06 billion.
The total number of trades, however, rose by 57.05% to 68,655 deals. ACCESSCORP (+2.74%) led the volume chart with 22.66 million units traded, while ZENITHBANK (+0.16%) led the value chart with N9.90 billion worth of trades.
Market breadth remained positive at 1.78x, reflecting a higher number of advancers relative to decliners, as forty-three (43) stocks advanced against twenty-four (24) decliners.
NASCON (+10.00%) led the advancers’ chart, while OKOMUOIL (-10.00%) emerged as the session’s top decliner.
Similarly, the NASD OTC market closed Monday’s session on a positive note, as the NASD Security Index (NSI) appreciated by 1.19% to 4,512.43 points.
Market capitalisation also appreciated by 1.12% to N2.71 trillion, while the market’s year-to-date (YTD) return improved to 27.34%.
Trading activity strengthened, with traded volume increasing by 587.70% to 2.36mn units, while transaction value increased by 649.82% to N184.19 million. A total of 33 trades were executed, representing a 22.22% decrease from the previous session.
On the performance chart, SDCSCSPLC (+5.47%) led the gainers, while SDAFRILAND (-2.05%) emerged as the session’s top loser.
Meanwhile, the naira appreciated marginally against the U.S. dollar, with the USD/NGN pair declining by 0.02% to close at ₦1,331/$.
Meanwhile, Nigeria’s external reserves increased by 0.05% to $54.72 billion as of 18 September 2026, extending the recent improvement in the country’s reserve position.
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