The Nigerian Exchange (NGX) maintained its positive trajectory on Thursday, January 8, 2026, closing in the green for another consecutive session. Sustained buying interest, particularly in mid and large-capitalization stocks, fueled the upward movement, adding significant value to the overall market.
Market Snapshot: Index and Capitalization Climb
The benchmark NGX All-Share Index (ASI) appreciated by 0.13% during the trading day. It advanced from the previous close of 160,591.76 points to settle at 160,806.56 points. This gain translated to a substantial increase in investors' wealth, with the total market capitalization rising by N137.35 billion to close at N102.82 trillion.
Despite the overall positive close, market breadth—which measures the number of advancing stocks against decliners—ended negative. A total of 40 stocks recorded price appreciation, while 31 stocks saw their share prices fall.
Top Performers and Trading Activity
Gains were broad-based but notably driven by strong rallies in the healthcare, industrial, and consumer goods sectors. Several stocks traded above their 52-week highs, including May & Baker, Multiverse, Mecure, Presco, Deap Capital Management & Trust, and Conoil.
The top gainers for the session were:
- FGS UK 2031 S4: surged by 15.31% to N89.99.
- Neimeth Pharmaceuticals: gained 10.00% to close at N7.70.
- May & Baker: rose by 9.85% to N26.20.
- eTranzact: advanced by 9.64% to N13.65.
- Multiverse: climbed by 9.51% to N21.30.
On the flip side, International Energy Insurance led the losers' chart after shedding 9.90% of its value.
Volume and Value of Trades Decline
Despite the price gains, overall market activity weakened considerably. The total volume of shares traded plummeted by 55.22% to 645.06 million units. The value of those trades also decreased, amounting to N16.45 billion exchanged across 44,410 deals.
CHAMS emerged as the most active stock by volume, with 60.46 million shares traded, accounting for 9.37% of the total volume. In terms of value, Zenith Bank led the pack, with trades worth N1.51 billion representing 9.15% of the total value traded. Other actively traded stocks included Linkage Assurance, Tantalizers, Access Holdings, and Champion Breweries.
The market's performance underscores a continued, albeit selective, investor confidence in key sectors of the Nigerian economy, driving the bullish momentum into the new year.
