By Seun Ibiyemi
The Nigerian equities market closed on a bullish note on Wednesday, with investors gaining N390 billion following renewed buying interest driven by strong corporate earnings and positive global signals.
Market performance was buoyed by the release of full-year 2025 financial results by listed companies, as well as Nigeria’s reclassification by FTSE Russell to Frontier Market status from its previous “Unclassified” position.
The reclassification, which will take effect in September, is expected to trigger increased capital inflows, as global tracker funds and Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) tracking the FTSE Frontier Index reposition their portfolios to include Nigerian equities.
At the close of trading, market capitalisation rose by N390 billion, or 0.28 per cent, to N130.404 trillion from N130.014 trillion recorded at the opening.
Similarly, the Nigerian Exchange All-Share Index gained 562.44 points, or 0.28 per cent, to settle at 202,585.54, compared to 202,023.10 posted on Tuesday.
The positive performance pushed the Year-To-Date (YTD) return to 30.19 per cent, reflecting sustained investor confidence in the market.
Despite the overall bullish sentiment, market breadth closed negative, with 32 losers against 22 gainers.
On the losers’ table, UPDCredit declined by 10 per cent to close at N6.75, while Fortis Global Insurance fell by 9.92 per cent to N1.18. Deap Capital Management dropped by 9.85 per cent to N5.40, CHAMS lost 9.47 per cent to N3.06, and JaPaul Gold dipped by 8.82 per cent to N3.10 per share.
Conversely, Universal Insurance topped the gainers’ chart with a 10 per cent increase to N1.21. Omatek Ventures rose by 9.78 per cent to N2.47, while VFD Group advanced by 9.71 per cent to close at N11.30.
Computer Warehouse Group gained 9.64 per cent to N21.05, and Livestock Feeds appreciated by 9.56 per cent to N7.45 per share.
Meanwhile, trading activity declined, with total volume traded dropping by 12.64 per cent to 1.01 billion shares valued at N40.57 billion across 52,723 deals.
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Access Corporation led the activity chart in volume, accounting for 232.98 million shares, representing 23.14 per cent of total trades.
In terms of value, Zenith Bank emerged as the most traded stock, with transactions worth N6.47 billion, representing 15.94 per cent of the day’s turnover.
Market analysts say the combination of strong earnings performance and improved global perception of Nigeria’s equity market is likely to sustain investor interest in the near term.
