Trading activities on the Nigerian Exchange Limited closed on a bullish note on Friday, 18 September, 2026, with key market indicators recording significant appreciation driven by sustained investor demand in high-cap and financial sector stocks. The NGX All-Share Index and market capitalisation appreciated by 2.78 per cent to close the week at 249,804.60 points and N163.50tn, respectively. This growth was fueled by strong trading volumes and sustained position-taking in banking stocks.
A total turnover of 3.20 billion shares worth N168.67bn was traded during the week in 287,919 deals, reflecting a 23.83 per cent increase in volume and a 30.81 per cent increase in value compared to the previous week. The financial services sector led the activity chart by volume, with Fidelity Bank Plc, Sterling Financial Holdings Company Plc, and Mutual Benefits Assurance Plc accounting for significant trading volumes.
Market breadth strengthened sharply to 1.91x, with 61 gainers against 32 losers. Sovereign Trust Insurance Plc led the gainers’ chart with a 30.95 per cent increase to close at N2.20 per share, whereas Transcorp Power Plc topped the decliners’ chart, falling 18.94 per cent to close at N178.00 per share.
In the Exchange Traded Products segment, a total of 1.84 million units valued at N504.23m were traded across 5,684 deals, compared with 2.26 million units valued at N451.25m transacted in 5,627 deals during the prior week. Stanbic IBTC ETF 30 recorded the highest trading value in the sector, transacting 280,861 units valued at N294.86m.
The Debt Management Office conducted its September Federal Government of Nigeria bond auction, offering two maturities through the reopening of the Sep-36 and Jun-38 bonds, generating N1.49tn in total subscriptions against N1.00tn on offer. Despite strong demand, secondary bond market trading ended on a bearish note as average bond yields rose by four basis points to 16.58 per cent.
The NGX listed additional equities to its Daily Official List following capital raising and debt restructuring activities by listed entities. A total of 26,562,647,265 ordinary shares of 50 kobo each of Abbey Mortgage Bank Plc were listed on Thursday, 17 September, 2026, arising from the bank’s private placement executed at N2.43 per share. Additionally, Critical Minerals Financing Corporation Plc had 1,068,980,259 ordinary shares listed.
On the domestic macroeconomic front, headline inflation eased for the second consecutive month by four basis points to 15.39 per cent year-on-year in August 2026. JP Morgan also announced the inclusion of FGN local-currency bonds in its newly launched Government Bond Index-Emerging Markets Edge, assigning Nigeria a 7.40 per cent weighting across 16 eligible securities valued at $17.47bn.
Key points
- The NGX All-Share Index rose 2.78% to 249,804.60 points.
- Sovereign Trust Insurance Plc led the gainers’ chart with a 30.95 per cent increase.
- Headline inflation eased to 15.39 per cent year-on-year in August 2026.
