THUR OCT 22 2026-theGBJournal| The Nigerian equities market extended its decline for a second consecutive session on Thursday, as selling pressure in key stocks dragged the NGX All-Share Index (ASI) and market capitalisation down by 0.07% each.
The ASI closed at 244,956.94 points, while market capitalisation settled at N159.05 trillion.
Consequently, the market’s year-to-date (YTD) return eased to 57.41%, from 57.52% recorded in the previous session.
The downturn was driven by losses in NGXGROUP, which fell 4.69%, OANDO, down 4.17%, and GTCO, which shed 0.33%.
These losses outweighed gains in PZ, which advanced 8.58%, ACCESSCORP, up 2.49%, and DANGCEM, which gained 0.20%.
Trading activity presented a mixed picture, with total volume traded rising by 1.87% to 360.75 million units, while total transaction value declined by 13.91% to N20.32 billion.
The number of deals also fell by 3.63% to 31,401.
LIVESTOCK led trading by volume, with 40.97 million units exchanged, while ARADEL topped the value chart with transactions worth N4.34 billion.
Market breadth remained negative, with 23 stocks advancing against 29 decliners, representing a breadth ratio of 0.79x. PZ led the gainers with an 8.58% appreciation, while AUSTINLAZ topped the losers’ chart, shedding 8.81%.
NASD OTC Market Rallies 0.97%
In contrast to the bearish performance on the Nigerian Exchange, the NASD Over-the-Counter (OTC) Securities Exchange closed in positive territory, with its NASD Securities Index (NSI) advancing by 0.97% to 4,345.33 points.
Market capitalisation also increased by 0.97% to N2.61 trillion, while the market’s year-to-date return stood at 22.62%, compared with 21.44% in the previous session.
Trading activity strengthened considerably in volume terms, as total units traded surged by 757.70% to 738,844 units.
However, total transaction value declined by 33.26% to N6.70 million, even as the number of trades increased by 53.33% to 23.
FCWAMCO led the gainers, appreciating by 9.14%, while IGIPLC was the sole decliner, shedding 0.38%.
Naira Exchange Rate
In the foreign exchange market, the reported official exchange rate of the naira weakened by 0.8% to N1,346.05 per US dollar.
For context, the latest published Central Bank of Nigeria reference rates available for October 21 placed the pound sterling at approximately N1,787.06 and the euro at N1,498.73.
These are the central reference rates, rather than guaranteed bank or bureau de change transaction rates.
X-@theGBJournal|email:gbj@govbusinessjournal.com|govandbusinessj@gmail.com
