By BizWatch Nigeria Markets Desk | July 28, 2026
Key Points
- Nigerian equities closed lower on Monday as investors lost ₦76 billion in market value
- The NGX All-Share Index declined 0.05% to 247,238.74 amid profit-taking across major sectors
- Trading activity strengthened despite the market decline, with turnover rising to ₦57.20 billion
Main Story
The Nigerian stock market opened the week on a negative note on Monday, with investors shedding ₦76 billion as profit-taking in banking, insurance and consumer goods stocks dragged the market lower.
Market capitalisation fell by 0.05% to ₦159.511 trillion, down from ₦159.587 trillion recorded in the previous trading session. Similarly, the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) All-Share Index lost 118.66 points, or 0.05%, to close at 247,238.74, compared with 247,357.40 on Friday.
Despite the decline, the market’s year-to-date return remained strong at 58.88%, while market breadth closed negative, with 32 decliners outweighing 28 gainers.
Trans-Nationwide Express and Sunu Assurances topped the losers’ chart after both declined by 10% to close at ₦219.60 and ₦3.24 per share respectively. They were followed by International Breweries, Neimeth International Pharmaceutical and Austinlaz, which recorded losses of between 9.64% and 9.85%.
On the gainers’ table, Coronation Infrastructure Fund rose 9.95% to ₦140.30, while Thomas Wyatt Nigeria, Lasaco Assurance, Critical Minerals Financing Corp and Chams also posted strong gains.
Market activity strengthened during the session, with investors exchanging 637.96 million shares valued at ₦57.20 billion across 71,240 deals, compared with 614.55 million shares worth ₦32.95 billion traded in 55,282 transactions on Friday.
Access Corporation emerged as the most actively traded stock by volume with 47.57 million shares, while Aradel dominated the value chart after recording transactions worth ₦27.57 billion, representing nearly half of the day’s total traded value.
What’s Being Said
Market data from the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) showed that the session was largely driven by profit-taking after recent market gains, with banking, insurance and consumer goods stocks accounting for most of the losses.
What’s Next
- Investors will monitor upcoming corporate earnings releases for fresh market direction
- Trading sentiment is expected to remain influenced by profit-taking and portfolio rebalancing
- Analysts will also watch macroeconomic developments and interest rate expectations for their impact on equities
The Bottom Line: Monday’s decline appears to reflect profit-taking rather than a broad deterioration in market fundamentals. Strong trading volumes and a year-to-date return of nearly 59% suggest investor interest in Nigerian equities remains resilient despite short-term volatility.
