Nigeria’s equities market reached a historic milestone on Monday as the Nigerian Exchange Limited (NGX) All-Share Index (ASI) surged past the 200,000-point mark for the first time, reflecting sustained investor confidence and strong demand for equities.

The benchmark index advanced by 1.55 per cent to close at 201,474.89 points, up from 198,407.30 points recorded in the previous trading session. The rally pushed the market’s year-to-date return to 29.47 per cent, while the month-to-date gain settled at 4.48 per cent, underscoring the strong upward momentum in Nigeria’s capital market.

Market capitalisation rose in tandem with the index, climbing N1.97 trillion to N129.33 trillion, compared with N127.36 trillion previously, as large-cap stocks drove gains across key sectors.

The Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Nigerian Exchange Group, Temi Popoola, described the development as a reflection of strengthening confidence in Nigeria’s capital market amid ongoing economic reforms.

According to him, the milestone highlights the growing role of the market in mobilising long-term capital and supporting economic growth.

He noted that increased participation by domestic investors, improving corporate fundamentals and ongoing market modernisation were helping to reinforce the capital market as a catalyst for wealth creation and sustainable development.

Trading activity remained robust during the session. Investors exchanged 948.21 million shares valued at N49.17 billion in 72,735 deals, representing increases of 60.43 per cent in volume, 40.48 per cent in value, and 37.07 per cent in deal count compared with the previous trading session. Financial services stocks accounted for the largest share of traded volumes, reflecting heightened investor interest in the sector.

The Chief Executive Officer of the NGX, Jude Chiemeka, attributed the record milestone to sustained investor engagement and broad participation across the market.

He said crossing the 200,000-point threshold reflects strong demand for equities across sectors and reaffirmed the exchange’s commitment to deepening liquidity, strengthening trading infrastructure and ensuring efficient price discovery to support a transparent and resilient marketplace.

Sectoral performance during the session was largely positive. The Industrial Goods index led the gains with a 4.52 per cent increase, followed by the Banking index, which rose 2.20 per cent, while the Consumer Goods index edged up 0.03 per cent. However, the Insurance and Oil and Gas indices declined by 0.43 per cent and 0.08 per cent respectively, while the Commodity index closed flat.

Market breadth was positive at 1.2 times, with 38 gainers outpacing 31 losers.

Among the top advancing stocks were BUA Cement Plc, Premier Paints Plc, John Holt Plc, Guinea Insurance Plc, and FTN Cocoa Processors Plc. On the flip side, notable decliners included VFD Group Plc, Royal Exchange Plc, Omatek Ventures Plc, Sovereign Trust Insurance Plc, and Regency Alliance Insurance Plc.

The historic crossing of the 200,000-point mark underscores the sustained momentum in Nigeria’s equities market, which continues to attract increasing participation from both domestic and institutional investors amid improving corporate earnings and renewed confidence in the country’s economic outlook.

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