By Boluwatife Oshadiya | May 26, 2026, 1:05 PM
Key Points
- NGX investors gained ₦905.57 billion as the All-Share Index advanced 0.57%
- Airtel Africa, Oando, FCMB and Sovereign Trust Insurance led major gainers
- Trading volume declined despite a sharp increase in transaction value
Main Story
Investors on the Nigerian Exchange recorded a combined gain of ₦905.57 billion on Monday as renewed buying interest in Airtel Africa, Oando and banking stocks lifted the market higher.
The benchmark All-Share Index rose by 1,412.65 basis points to close at 251,125.02, representing a 0.57% increase from the previous trading session. Market capitalisation also climbed to ₦160.98 trillion as investors reversed part of last week’s losses, which wiped approximately ₦366 billion from the market.
Market activity showed mixed performance. Trading volume declined by 11.58%, while the total value traded surged by 40.67% to ₦40.91 billion across 82,434 deals involving about 629.42 million shares.
ACCESSCORP emerged as the most traded stock by volume, accounting for 9.77% of total market activity, followed by ZENITHBANK, FIDELITYBK, JAPAULGOLD and TANTALIZER.
By transaction value, ARADEL dominated market activity with 29.36% of total traded value.
AIRTELAFRI topped the gainers’ chart with a 10% appreciation, followed by INTENEGINS, SOVRENINS, CAVERTON, VFDGROUP and UNIONDICON. OANDO gained 4.57%, while FCMB rose 3.46%.
On the losers’ chart, MCNICHOLS declined by 10%, followed by TIP, LEARNAFRCA, ZICHIS, MAYBAKER and PRESTIGE.
Sectoral performance remained largely bearish despite the broader market rally. The Oil and Gas Index declined by 1.77%, while the Commodity Index dropped 1.29%, both pressured by selloffs in ARADEL. The Consumer Goods Index also closed lower due to losses in INTBREW.
However, the Insurance and Banking indices posted gains driven by buying interest in SOVRENINS and FCMB respectively.
“The market rebound reflects renewed investor appetite for fundamentally strong equities despite persistent sectoral pressure,” stockbrokers said in post-market trading notes.
What’s Being Said
Market analysts noted that banking and telecom-linked equities continue to attract investor attention amid expectations of stronger earnings and improved liquidity conditions in the broader financial market.
“Investors appear to be selectively positioning in high-capitalisation stocks as market sentiment gradually improves,” independent analysts said after Monday’s close.
What’s Next
- Investors are expected to monitor upcoming corporate earnings releases and dividend announcements
- Attention is also shifting toward the Nigerian Exchange’s transition to the T+1 settlement cycle beginning June 1
- Analysts expect continued volatility across oil-linked equities amid profit-taking activities
Bottom Line
The Bottom Line: Monday’s rebound signals that investor confidence in Nigerian equities remains resilient despite recent market volatility. However, uneven sectoral performance suggests the recovery is still highly selective, with institutional capital concentrating in fundamentally strong and liquid stocks rather than the broader market.
