The Nigerian Exchange (NGX) closed the shortened trading week ended Wednesday on a positive note as selective buying across key sectors lifted the benchmark index despite reduced trading sessions due to the Christmas holidays.
The market traded for three sessions during the week following the Federal Government’s declaration of Thursday, December 25 and Friday, December 26, 2025, as public holidays to mark the Christmas celebration.
The NGX All-Share Index (ASI) advanced by 0.97% week-on-week to close at 153,539.83 points, while equity market capitalisation rose by 0.98% to ₦97.89 trillion.
Equity Market Turnover
Investor activity moderated compared with the previous week. A total of 2.88 billion shares valued at ₦63.83 billion were traded in 80,229 deals, down from 9.85 billion shares worth ₦305.84 billion exchanged in 126,584 deals in the preceding week.
Sectoral Activity Breakdown
The Financial Services Industry dominated market activity, accounting for 1.98 billion shares valued at ₦32.68 billion traded in 31,632 deals, representing 68.99% of total market volume and 51.20% of turnover value.
The Investment Industry followed with 208.70 million shares worth ₦2.26 billion in 640 deals, while the Conglomerates Industry ranked third with 147.00 million shares valued at ₦6.09 billion traded in 1,676 deals.
Most Traded Stocks
Trading in Abbey Mortgage Bank Plc, VFD Group Plc, and Custodian Investment Plc (measured by volume) accounted for 1.47 billion shares valued at ₦14.68 billion traded in 1,093 deals, contributing 51.15% of total equity volume and 23.00% of total value for the week.
Market Breadth
Market sentiment softened slightly compared with the prior week:
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44 equities appreciated in price, down from 55 previously
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30 equities depreciated, compared with 36 in the prior week
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73 equities closed unchanged, up from 55 in the preceding week
Index Performance
All major NGX indices closed higher for the week, except a few selective indices:
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NGX Premium Index declined 0.51%
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NGX Insurance Index fell 2.13%
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NGX MERI Growth Index dipped 0.23%
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NGX Lotus II Index eased 0.62%
The NGX Oil and Gas Index and NGX Sovereign Bond Index closed flat.
Notable gains were recorded in:
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NGX Banking Index: up 2.93%
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NGX Consumer Goods Index: up 3.34%
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NGX Main Board Index: up 1.74%
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NGX Growth Index: surged 16.24%
Top Price Gainers
The week’s strongest performers were led by industrial, consumer, and financial stocks:
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Aluminium Extrusion Industries Plc gained 32.39%
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Austin Laz & Company Plc advanced 32.23%
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International Breweries Plc rose 20.83%
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Mecure Industries Plc climbed 18.55%
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First HoldCo Plc added 17.91%
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FTN Cocoa Processors Plc, International Energy Insurance Plc, Ikeja Hotel Plc, Guinness Nigeria Plc, and Eunisell Interlinked Plc also recorded notable gains.
Top Price Decliners
Losses were recorded mainly in insurance, consumer, and technology-linked stocks:
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Legend Internet Plc declined 11.71%
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Champion Breweries Plc fell 11.50%
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NEM Insurance Plc shed 8.37%
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AXA Mansard Insurance Plc dropped 7.14%
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Associated Bus Company Plc lost 6.57%
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Ellah Lakes Plc, Prestige Assurance Plc, MTN Nigeria Communications Plc, Daar Communications Plc, and Regency Assurance Plc closed lower.
Corporate Actions
During the week, Nigerian Exchange Limited listed an additional 2,348,030,000 ordinary shares of 50 Kobo each of Chams Holding Company Plc on Tuesday, December 23, 2025.
The new shares arose from the company’s rights issue at ₦1.70 per share, on the basis of one new share for every two shares held as at June 16, 2025. Following the listing, Chams Holding Company’s issued and fully paid-up shares increased from 6.65 billion to 9.00 billion shares.
Market Outlook
The positive close in a shortened trading week reflects sustained investor confidence despite holiday-induced lower participation. With year-end portfolio positioning ongoing, market activity is expected to remain selective, with continued focus on fundamentally strong banking, consumer, and industrial stocks.
