TUE JUNE 09 2026-theGBJournal| Nigeria’s stock market extended gains on Tuesday, with telecom and banking shares driving the benchmark index higher as investors shrugged off losses in select consumer and healthcare stocks.
The All-Share Index rose 0.53% to 244,697.62 points, pushing its year-to-date return to 57.25%, while market capitalization increased by N830 billion to N156.94 trillion.
The advance was led by heavyweight stocks including Airtel Africa, which surged 10%, and FirstHoldCo, which gained 8.49%. Ikeja Hotel added 3.40%, helping offset declines in Nigerian Aviation Handling Company, down 10%, Fidson Healthcare, which fell 9.97%, and Guinness Nigeria, which lost 9.22%.
Trading activity strengthened sharply, signaling renewed investor participation in the market. Total share volume jumped 77.16% from the previous session, while the value of transactions rose 2.15%.
Sterling Financial Holdings was the most actively traded stock by volume, with 715.66 million shares exchanged. Aradel Holdings dominated turnover, accounting for transactions worth N13.25 billion.
Market breadth reflected a balanced session, with 33 stocks advancing and 33 declining. Airtel Africa topped the gainers’ chart with its 10% rally, while Learn Africa posted the steepest decline, dropping 10%.
The gains underscore continued demand for large-cap stocks as investors position for earnings growth and portfolio rebalancing, despite intermittent profit-taking in recently outperforming counters.
Meanwhile, the NASD Over-the-Counter Securities Exchange closed lower. The NASD Security Index declined 0.48% to 4,335.31 points, reducing market capitalization to N2.59 trillion.
Trading activity on the OTC platform, however, accelerated significantly. Transaction volume surged 644.29%, while turnover climbed 208.58% compared with the previous session.
CSCS Plc was the sole gainer on the NASD exchange, advancing 3.27%. Nitrox Gas led declines, falling 11.06% to close as the session’s worst-performing stock.
The divergence between the NGX and NASD markets highlights investors’ continued preference for liquid listed equities, particularly large-cap stocks, amid expectations of stronger corporate earnings and sustained market momentum.
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