The Nigerian equities market extended its bullish run on Friday with the NGX Industrial Index emerging as the best-performing sectoral gauge, as investors gained N1.23 trillion in market capitalization.
Data from the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) Daily Official List showed that total market capitalization rose from N123.93 trillion on Thursday to N125.16 trillion at the close of trading on Friday.
The All-Share Index (ASI) also climbed from 193,073.57 basis points to 194,989.77 basis points, reflecting sustained buying interest across key sectors.
The NGX Industrial Index recorded the strongest sectoral performance, rising from 7,200.81 points to 7,365.11 points, driven largely by price appreciation in heavyweight stocks such as Lafarge Africa (WAPCO) and other manufacturing counters.
The NGX Banking Index also posted notable gains, advancing from 1,852.15 points to 1,878.66 points, while the NGX Consumer Goods Index increased from 4,472.50 points to 4,527.47 points.
The NGX Oil and Gas Index recorded a marginal uptick from 4,076.03 points to 4,078.14 points, and the NGX Growth Index rose from 37,854.52 points to 38,051.67 points.
Market breadth closed positive with 53 gainers against 23 losers, underscoring broad-based investor confidence.
Fidson Healthcare led the gainers’ chart with a 10 per cent increase, rising from N79.00 to N86.90 per share. NPF Microfinance Bank and Jaiz Bank also appreciated by 10 per cent each to close at N6.27 and N11.00, respectively.
Custodian Investment advanced by 9.94 per cent to N70.25, while ZIChis rose by 9.94 per cent to N17.36. PZ Cussons gained 8.75 per cent to close at N73.95, and Lafarge Africa (WAPCO) climbed 8.25 per cent to N210.00. NASCON Allied Industries increased by 7.11 per cent to N164.95, while UACN appreciated by 7.02 per cent to N105.95. Nestlé Nigeria added N200.00 to close at N3,100.00, representing a 6.90 per cent gain.
Banking stocks also supported the rally, with UBA rising by 2.08 per cent to N49.00, Zenith Bank gaining 1.76 per cent to N86.50, and GTCO advancing 0.85 per cent to N118.00.
On the downside, NSL Tech led the losers with a 10 per cent decline from N1.80 to N1.62 per share. Sovereign Trust Insurance fell by 9.73 per cent to N2.32, while Ellah Lakes dropped 7.91 per cent to N12.80. International Energy Insurance declined by 5.56 per cent to N3.40, and ABC Transport shed 5.26 per cent to N9.00. IMG lost 4.00 per cent to close at N36.00, while FCMB Group fell 3.25 per cent to N11.90. Honeywell Flour Mills and Champion Breweries also recorded moderate losses.
Analysts attributed the market’s sustained upward movement to strong demand for industrial and other fundamentally sound stocks, noting that continued positioning ahead of earnings releases and dividend announcements may further bolster investor sentiment in the near term.
