THUR APRIL 09 2026-theGBJournal| Nigeria’s equities market edged higher on Thursday, as bargain-hunting activity nudged the NGX All-Share Index up by 0.3 per cent to 203,161.81 points, with the Month-to-Date and Year-to-Date returns settling at +0.6% and +30.6%, respectively, signaling a modest rebound in investor sentiment.
The uptick was driven by renewed interest in fundamentally sound stocks such as NESTLE (+6.4%), ZENITHBANK (+2.8%), and GTCO (+1.9%), with investors taking advantage of recent price corrections to rebuild positions.
The performance of these stocks outweighed declines in UCAP (-5.88%), NAHCO (-4.21%), and DANGSUGAR (-1.62%).
The total volume traded fell by 35.2% to 652.86 million units, valued at N39.82 billion, and exchanged in 51,101 deals.
ACCESSCORP was the most traded stock by volume at 121.71 million units, while GTCO was the most traded stock by value at NGN8.10 billion.
Sectoral performance was broadly positive as the Banking (+1.1%), Insurance (+0.7%), Consumer Goods (+0.4%), Oil and Gas (+0.4%), and Industrial Goods (+0.2%) indices advanced.
Market breadth showed a positive tilt, as selective buying across key sectors helped sustain the upward momentum, as 28 tickers gained relative to 29 losers.
TRANSEXPR (+9.9%) and INTENEGINS (+9.8%) led the gainers, while LIVINGTRUST (-10.0%) and RTBRISCOE (-9.9%) recorded the highest losses of the day.
The NASD OTC market extended its bearish trend, as both the NASD Securities Index (NSI) and market capitalisation declined by 0.95%.
Market activity was mixed, with traded volume contracting sharply by 81.85%, while traded value increased by 23.47%, indicating selective participation in higher-value trades.
On the price movement front, SDMRS (+3.03%) emerged as the sole gainer, while SDFARMSPLC (-11.11%) recorded the steepest decline for the session.
In the foreign exchange market, the naira strengthened further, appreciating by 0.3 per cent to N1,363.00/USD, and extending its recent run of gains.
The improved currency performance is attributed to better liquidity conditions and ongoing efforts by authorities to stabilize the market, offering a supportive backdrop for financial assets.
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