SAT AUG 01 2026-theGBJournal| The Nigerian Exchange closed the final trading session of July with the All-Share Index (ASI) at 245,283.68 points, down about 1.0% from its end-June level of 247,831.40 points, equivalent to a loss of roughly 2,548 index points during the month.
Market capitalisation also declined to ₦158.33 trillion, erasing an estimated ₦1.7 trillion in shareholder value over the period.
The monthly retreat reflected investors locking in profits after the market’s extended rally, even as second-quarter earnings from several listed companies pointed to improving corporate profitability.
The weakness persisted into the final week of July, with the benchmark ASI falling 0.84% week-on-week, trimming the market’s year-to-date return to 57.62% from 58.96% a week earlier.
Selling pressure in large-cap stocks including MTN Nigeria, GTCO, Zenith Bank and UBA outweighed gains in First HoldCo, Fidelity Bank, Dangote Sugar and Guinness Nigeria, leaving the benchmark in negative territory.
The market also ended Friday’s session marginally lower, with the ASI slipping 0.03% as declines in MTN Nigeria, UBA and Wema Bank offset gains in Zenith Bank, GTCO and Access Holdings.
Trading activity slowed sharply on the final trading day of the month.
Total volume traded fell 55.1% to 942.97 million shares, while the value of transactions dropped 79.8% to ₦46.74 billion, suggesting investors adopted a cautious stance at month-end.
Access Holdings led trading by volume with 22.81 million shares, while Seplat Energy accounted for the highest value of transactions at ₦16.26 billion.
Despite the broader decline, market breadth remained positive, with gainers narrowly outnumbering losers.
Eterna advanced 10% to emerge as the session’s biggest gainer, while CAP Plc fell 9.97%, making it the day’s worst-performing stock.
The NASD OTC market bucked the trend, with the NASD Security Index rising 0.99% to 4,431.71 points, lifting market capitalisation to ₦2.66 trillion as investors accumulated selected OTC counters.
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