Nigerian Stocks soar as Market gains N390bn on FTSE Boost

Nigeria’s equities market extended its bullish run on Wednesday, with investors gaining N390 billion amid renewed confidence following the country’s return to Frontier Market status by global index provider FTSE Russell.

The positive sentiment also coincided with the release of full-year 2025 financial results by several listed companies, which further strengthened market momentum.

At the close of trading, market capitalisation rose by 0.28 per cent to N130.404 trillion, up from N130.014 trillion recorded at the previous session. Similarly, the All-Share Index advanced by 562.44 points, or 0.28 per cent, to settle at 202,585.54.

The development lifted the year-to-date return to 30.19 per cent, underscoring sustained investor appetite in the Nigerian market.

Analysts say the reclassification of Nigeria from its previous “Unclassified” status to Frontier Market, effective from September, is expected to trigger fresh capital inflows, as global tracker funds and exchange-traded funds benchmarked against the FTSE Frontier Index reposition their portfolios to include Nigerian equities.

Despite the overall positive performance, market breadth closed negative, with 32 decliners compared to 22 gainers.

On the losers’ table, UPDCredit recorded the highest decline, shedding 10 per cent to close at N6.75 per share. Fortis Global Insurance followed with a 9.92 per cent drop, while Deap Capital Management, CHAMS and JaPaul Gold also posted notable losses.

Conversely, Universal Insurance topped the gainers’ chart with a 10 per cent increase to N1.21. Omatek Ventures, VFD Group, Computer Warehouse Group and Livestock Feeds also recorded strong gains, reflecting selective buying interest across sectors.

Trading activity, however, declined at the close of the session, with total volume traded dropping by 12.64 per cent to 1.01 billion shares valued at N40.57 billion, exchanged in 52,723 deals.

Access Corporation led the activity chart in volume, accounting for 232.98 million shares or 23.14 per cent of total trades, while Zenith Bank emerged as the most traded stock by value at N6.47 billion, representing 15.94 per cent of total turnover.

Market watchers say the combination of strong corporate earnings and improved global classification is likely to sustain investor interest in the near term, positioning Nigeria’s equities market for increased foreign participation.