THUR OCT 22 2026-theGBJournal| Broad-based selling pressure in the Nigerian equities market Wednesday led the NGX All-Share Index (ASI) to fall by 0.32%, bringing its year-to-date (YTD) return to 57.52%.
Trading activity remained mixed, as total trade volume rose by 1.27% to 352.04 million shares, while total transaction value fell by 8.78% to ₦23.61 billion.
Market breadth was negative, with 17 gainers against 30 losers, while 78 stocks closed unchanged.
Most sectoral indices closed negative. However, the Oil and Gas Index closed positive, increasing by 0.12% and stood out among other sectors as the only index that has maintained bullish momentum this week. Furthermore, the Banking Index recorded the largest dip decreasing by 1.49%.
ZENITHBANK was the stock of the day, led in trading by volume with a total of 48.21 million shares exchanged and in trading value with transactions worth ₦5.90 billion.
On the gainers’ chart, LIVINGTRUST and ABCTRANS recorded the strongest price appreciation, while CWG and AUSTINLAZ posted the steepest declines.
On the corporate front, several listed companies announced their forthcoming Annual General Meetings (AGMs) and Board Meetings (BMs). In addition, AVA CAPITAL PLC and GUINNESS NIGERIA PLC released their Q3 2026 Financial Statements.
The NASD OTC market also closed session on a negative note, as the NASD Security Index (NSI) fell by 1.19% to 4,303.61 points. Market capitalisation also declined by 1.19% to N2.58trn, while the year-to-date (YTD) return moderated to 21.44%, from 22.90% in the previous session.
Market activity weakened, with total volume traded falling by 91.26% to 86,142 units, while total value traded decreased by 54.82% to N10.04mn. The number of trades also declined by 46.43% to 15.
SDAFRILAND topped the gainers’ table, advancing by 2.21%, while SDCSCSPLC laggards’ log, shedding 4.08%.
Meanwhile, the naira weakened against the U.S. dollar, with the USD/NGN exchange rate rising by 0.08% to ₦1,334.22/$.
Meanwhile, Nigeria’s external reserves slipped by 0.01% to $55.09 billion as of 15 October 2026, extending a period of relative stability with a marginal pullback.
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