THUR SEPT 24 2026-theGBJournal| The Nigerian equities market maintained its positive momentum, as the NGX All-Share Index (ASI) advanced by 0.23% to close at 251,191.02 points, while market capitalisation increased by 0.23% to settle at N163.06 trillion.
This lifted the ASI year-to-date return to 61.42%, from 61.05% in the previous session.
The positive performance was driven by gains in ETERNA (+10.00%), NAHCO (+7.69%) and CMFC (+9.76%), MTNN (+0.6%), ZENITHBANK (+2.3%), FIRSTHOLDCO (+1.4%) and NASCON (+4.2%), which outweighed losses recorded in UCAP (-5.00%), CAVERTON (-9.09%) and UPL (-9.00%).
Market activity was mixed, as total volume traded rose by 89.97% to 1.59 billion units, while value traded declined by 5.66% to N45.82 billion.
FIDELITYBK recorded the highest trading volume at 170.72 million units, while GTCO was the most traded stock by value at N11.85 billion. FIDELITYBK (+0.00%) also accounted for the highest reported transaction value at N3.41 billion.
Market breadth remained positive at 2.17x, indicating a higher number of advancers relative to decliners, as forty-seven stocks advanced against twenty-four decliners.
ETERNA (+10.00%) emerged as the session’s top gainer, while CAVERTON (-9.09%) led the losers’ chart.
The NASD OTC market closed today’s session on a negative note, as the NASD Security Index (NSI) declined by 0.49% to 4,390.84 points.
Market capitalisation also fell by 0.38% to N2.64 trillion, while the market’s year-to-date (YTD) return moderated to 23.90% from 24.51% in the previous session.
Trading activity remained subdued, as traded volume declined by 3.27% to 1.90 million units, while transaction value decreased by 1.02% to N236.33 million. A total of 21 trades were executed, representing an 8.70% decline from the previous session.
Market sentiment remained weak, with one advancer against three decliners. SDFOODCPT emerged as the sole advancer, gaining 6.96%, while SDUBNPROP led the losers’ chart, shedding 9.09%.
At the currency market, The naira appreciated marginally against the U.S. dollar, with the USD/NGN pair declining by 0.08% to close at ₦1,330/$ as of 22 September, 2026.
Meanwhile, Nigeria’s external reserves increased by 0.04% to $54.81 billion as of 22 September 2026, extending the recent improvement in the country’s reserve position.
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