Nigerian Exchange Achieves Historic Market Capitalization Growth
The Nigerian Exchange Limited (NGX) concluded a landmark trading week, witnessing an impressive increase in market capitalization of N1.77 trillion. Despite the reduction to just three trading days—Monday through Wednesday—due to the Eid El Fitr holiday on March 19 and 20, 2026, the market sustained its bullish trend.
Record-Setting Performance of the All Share Index
As of Wednesday, March 18, the NGX All Share Index (ASI) reached a notable 201,156.86 points, and the market capitalization closed at 129.126 billion Naira. This reflects a 1.39 percent rise from the previous week’s figures of 198,407.30 points and a market cap of 127.361 billion Naira. This achievement is particularly significant as the index has surpassed the 200,000-point mark for the first time in history.
Global Market Standing and Year-to-Date Growth
The Nigerian Exchange continues to be recognized among the world’s top-performing markets, currently exhibiting year-to-date (YtD) growth of approximately 30 percent. This robust performance solidifies the exchange’s position in the global financial landscape.
Dominance of Key Stocks in Trading Activity
This week’s trading activity was heavily concentrated in three major stocks—E-Tranzact International Plc, FCMB Group Plc, and Wema Bank Plc—collectively accounting for around 69.44 percent of total trading volume. These top performers contributed to 6.084 billion shares traded and generated an equivalent of NOK 40.661 billion over 5,570 transactions.
Market Breadth and Stock Performances
During this shortened trading period, 48 stocks recorded gains, an increase from 34 in the preceding week. Conversely, 43 stocks experienced declines, a downturn from the previous week’s 61. Additionally, 57 stocks held steady, which is an uptick from 53 stocks that had not changed in value in the last trading session.
Trading Volume and Investor Transactions
The total turnover for the week reached 8.761 billion shares, valued at N267.253 billion, across 193,473 transactions conducted on the exchange floor. This substantial activity marks a significant increase from the previous week’s volume of 3.321 billion shares worth N164.845 billion, traded across 318,907 transactions.
Sector Performance Overview
All sector indexes closed the week on a positive note, with the exception of NGX Insurance, NGX AFR Sector Yield, NGX Consumer Discretionary, NGX Oil & Gas, NGX Lotus II, and NGX Commodities, which posted declines ranging from 0.42 percent to 4.91 percent. Notably, the NGX Sovereign Bond Index ended the week unchanged, reflecting stability amidst the fluctuations.
Leading Industries Driving Trading Activity
The ICT sector led market activity, with 5.33 billion shares traded, valued at an equivalent of NOK 46.825 billion across 21,573 transactions. This accounted for 60.84 percent of total stock volume and 17.52 percent of total value. The financial services sector followed closely, recording 2.765 billion shares exchanged in 75,103 transactions, with a value of NOK 95.892 billion. The consumer goods sector claimed the third position, generating 174.484 million shares valued at N20.85 billion over 20,693 transactions.
