The Nigerian stock market continues bullish trend, recording another positive close on Friday as investors pocketed a total gain of ₦384 billion, marking the end of the week on a strong note.
The sustained upward momentum underscored renewed investor confidence in the local equities market, driven by improved corporate earnings, stable monetary policy outlook, and expectations of moderate inflationary pressures.
Market capitalization hits ₦91.1 trillion
Data from the Nigerian Exchange Limited (NGX) showed that the Nigerian stock market continues bullish trend as market capitalization, which opened at ₦90.751 trillion, rose by 0.42 percent to close at ₦91.135 trillion.
The impressive performance pushed the All-Share Index higher by 604.58 points, settling at 143,584.04, compared to 142,979.46 posted on Thursday.
According to market analysts, the positive sentiment was primarily fueled by strong demand for blue-chip stocks in the financial, industrial, and consumer goods sectors.
The day’s rally further reflected the growing appetite of both local and foreign investors seeking to hedge against currency volatility through equities.
Breadth of the market remains positive
Further analysis indicated that the market breadth closed positive, showing that 39 stocks gained while 25 recorded losses, reinforcing the view that the Nigerian stock market continues bullish trend.
Leading the gainers’ chart was UAC of Nigeria Plc, which appreciated by 10 percent to close at ₦73.70 per share, amid sustained investor interest in the company’s restructuring and diversification strategy.
On the flip side, Julius Berger Plc topped the losers’ list, dropping by 9.96 percent to close at ₦122.90, as profit-taking activities weighed on its share price.
Analysts noted that the positive breadth reflected resilience in market sentiment, even as trading activities showed slight declines in volume and value.
Trading activity moderates after earlier surge
Despite the rally, the trading volume and value of shares exchanged declined compared to the previous session.
Data from the NGX revealed that investors traded 544.7 million shares valued at ₦19.63 billion across 27,065 deals on Friday.
This represented a significant drop from 6.23 billion shares worth ₦54.5 billion, exchanged in 32,682 deals on Thursday.
Market experts attributed the decline to profit-taking among short-term investors and portfolio rebalancing by institutional players.
Nonetheless, the dominance of buying interest in key sectors such as banking and industrial goods ensured that the Nigerian stock market continues bullish trend for the second consecutive week.
UBA leads activity chart
Among the most actively traded equities, United Bank for Africa (UBA) topped the activity chart with 80.10 million shares valued at ₦3.44 billion, reflecting sustained confidence in the bank’s fundamentals and its strategic expansion drive across Africa.
Analysts highlighted that investors have been showing increased preference for Tier-1 banks like UBA, Access Holdings, and Zenith Bank due to their strong earnings outlook and stable dividend history.
Analysts react to sustained uptrend
Commenting on the market performance, Chief Research Analyst at Capitalview Research, Tunde Adebayo, said the Nigerian stock market continues bullish trend because of “sustained foreign inflows and strategic repositioning by local fund managers taking advantage of undervalued stocks.”
He noted that despite the short-term fluctuations, the long-term outlook for the Nigerian equities market remains bright, especially as corporate earnings reports continue to surpass expectations.
“Investors are reacting to the fundamentals. The recent easing of foreign exchange backlog and improved liquidity in the FX market have also boosted investor morale,” Adebayo added.
Similarly, financial analyst Amaka Nwosu explained that the NGX performance reflected growing optimism that monetary tightening may soon ease, paving the way for cheaper credit and improved business sentiment.
“The sentiment driving the market shows that the Nigerian stock market continues bullish trend largely due to confidence in policy direction, especially with the Central Bank’s focus on price stability and currency management,” she said.
Outlook for next week
Looking ahead, market watchers predict that the Nigerian stock market continues bullish trend into the coming week, barring any major policy shocks.
However, they cautioned that profit-taking could set in after the recent rally.
According to a report by Meristem Securities, “We anticipate a mix of bargain-hunting and mild corrections as investors reassess portfolio positions ahead of upcoming third-quarter earnings results.
The overall sentiment remains positive in the short to medium term.”
Experts believe that continued policy consistency, improved corporate governance, and macroeconomic stability will be crucial in sustaining the upward momentum in the market.
The Nigerian stock market continues bullish trend, and analysts expect this optimism to deepen as more investors realign their portfolios toward equities as a hedge against inflation and currency depreciation.
The Nigerian stock market continues bullish trend with a ₦384 billion gain, reflecting investor confidence, improved liquidity, and strong fundamentals across major sectors.
With resilient performance, favorable policies, and positive sentiment, Nigeria’s equities market appears poised for sustained growth in the final quarter of 2025.
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