Equity market value hits record N159.89tn

Trading activities on the floor of the Nigerian Exchange Limited closed on a bullish note on Thursday, as market capitalisation surged to a record N159.89tn following sustained buying interest across key sectors.

The local bourse posted strong gains over the trading period spanning 11 September to 17 September, 2026, pushing the benchmark All-Share Index up by 1.34 per cent to close at an all-time high of 246,315.38 points, up from its opening level of 243,052.74 points.

Consequently, equity investors gained N2.3tn as total market valuation expanded from N157.59tn to N159.89tn despite the Central Bank of Nigeria retaining its Monetary Policy Rate at 26.50 per cent.

Sectoral performance was predominantly positive, driven by broad-based rallies across major operational boards. The NGX Industrial Index recorded significant buying pressure to close at 10,224.02 points, while the NGX Banking and Insurance indices advanced to 2,583.31 and 1,088.09 points respectively.

Similarly, the NGX Main-Board Index closed higher at 10,817.22, with the NGX 30, NGX Premium, and NGX Pension indices all tracking upward. On the flip side, profit-taking triggered a retreat in the NGX Consumer Goods Index to 4,084.03 points, while the NGX Growth Index shed marginal weight to settle at 26,427.37 points.

A breakdown of individual price movements showed that Beta Glass, UPDC Real Estate Investment Trust, Consolidated Hallmark Holdings, and BUA Cement led the gainers’ chart, each soaring by the maximum daily permissible limit of 10.00 per cent.

Royal Exchange followed closely with a 9.89 per cent gain to close at N1.00, Sovereign Trust Insurance appreciated by 9.77 per cent to N2.36, and Caverton Offshore Support Group added 9.59 per cent to trade at N4.00.

Conversely, Transcorp Power topped the decliners’ table after dropping 9.97 per cent to close at N197.70 per share. Legend Internet dipped by 9.88 per cent to N3.65, Omatek Ventures lost 9.66 per cent to finish at N1.31, while LivingTrust Mortgage Bank and International Breweries contracted by 8.45 per cent and 5.94 per cent respectively.

Market activity and overall turnover were heavily anchored by transactions in the financial services sector, which spearheaded execution across 54,026 equity deals. Fidelity Bank emerged as the most traded equity by volume, exchanging over 524 million shares, followed by Mutual Benefits Assurance with over 80 million units.

Sterling Financial Holdings, Zenith Bank, and Access Holdings also drew substantial investor patronage to bolster market liquidity, while Exchange-Traded Funds logged 1,069 transactions alongside moderate activity in fixed-income debt instruments.

https://punchng.com/equity-market-value-hits-record-n159-89tn/