Nigeria’s equities market maintained its bullish trajectory on Wednesday, with investors recording gains of N390 billion amid renewed optimism driven by the country’s reclassification by FTSE Russell.
The positive sentiment in the market was also supported by the release of full-year 2025 financial results by several listed companies, which helped reinforce investor confidence.
At the close of trading, market capitalisation increased by 0.28 per cent to N130.404 trillion, compared to N130.014 trillion recorded in the previous session. Similarly, the All-Share Index rose by 562.44 points, or 0.28 per cent, to settle at 202,585.54.
This performance pushed the market’s year-to-date return to 30.19 per cent, highlighting sustained investor interest in Nigerian equities.
Market analysts note that Nigeria’s reclassification from its previous “Unclassified” status to Frontier Market—set to take effect in September—is likely to attract increased capital inflows. This is because global tracker funds and exchange-traded funds tied to the FTSE Frontier Index are expected to rebalance their portfolios to include Nigerian stocks.
Despite the overall positive performance, market breadth closed on a negative note, with 32 stocks declining compared to 22 gainers.
Among the top losers, UPDCredit recorded the steepest drop, falling by 10 per cent to close at N6.75 per share. Fortis Global Insurance followed with a 9.92 per cent decline, while Deap Capital Management, CHAMS, and JaPaul Gold also posted notable losses.
On the gaining side, Universal Insurance led the chart with a 10 per cent increase to N1.21 per share. Other notable gainers included Omatek Ventures, VFD Group, Computer Warehouse Group, and Livestock Feeds, reflecting selective buying across different sectors.
Trading activity, however, slowed compared to the previous session. Total volume traded declined by 12.64 per cent to 1.01 billion shares, valued at N40.57 billion, across 52,723 deals.
Access Corporation recorded the highest trading volume, accounting for 232.98 million shares, or 23.14 per cent of total trades. Meanwhile, Zenith Bank emerged as the most traded stock by value, with transactions worth N6.47 billion, representing 15.94 per cent of total turnover.
Market observers believe that the combination of strong corporate earnings and improved global classification could sustain investor interest in the near term, positioning Nigeria’s equities market for increased foreign participation
