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Stock market rally intensifies, as investors reap N8.7trn

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Stock market rally intensifies, as investors reap N8.7trn

By Peter Egwuatu  

The Nigerian equities market continued its impressive upward trajectory last week, marking a third straight Week-on-Week, WoW, of gains with the market closing positive in all five trading sessions of the week. 

Specifically, investors gained N8.7 trillion from their investment on the Nigerian Exchange Limited, NGX, the highest so far this year, as market capitalisation, which represents the total value of equities investment, surged to N139.826 trillion from N131.165 trillion the previous week.

Another major performance indicator, NGX All Share Index, ASI, rose by 6.6% to close at 217,167.58 points from 203,770.43 points.

The performance was driven by buying interest in Aradel, which gained 28.9%, MTN, 10.7%,  Airtel Africa 10.0%, Stanbic IBTC  36.6%, Seplat  9.4%, BUA Foods 3.3% and Zenith Bank 12.5%.

Analysts have attributed the market surge to sustained liquidity inflows, improving investor sentiment, and strong demand for fundamentally sound stocks to keep the bullish momentum firmly intact on the Exchange.

Consequently, the market’s Year to Date,YtD, return strengthened to 39.56%.

Further market activity for the week under review showed that total volume and value traded increased by 6.6% WoW and 28.4% WoW respectively. 

On sectors, performance was broadly bullish, as the Oil & Gas Index went up by  17.6%, Banking Index grew by 11.9%, Consumer Goods Index  3.4% and Industrial Goods Index  1.3%.  The Insurance Index closed the week flat.

Commenting on market performance and outlook, analysts at Cordros Capital stated: “Looking ahead, attention will turn to the first wave of first quarter 2026, Q1’26 earnings releases on the NGX next week, which should begin to shape near term market direction. As results come through, investor positioning is likely to become more selective, with flows increasingly tied to earnings delivery and outlook across tickers.”

Also commenting, analysts at InvestData Consulting Limited, said: “Looking ahead, the near-term outlook for the market remains cautiously optimistic. While intermittent pullbacks may emerge following the sustained rally, such corrections are expected to be mild and largely technical in nature.”

They added: “The oil-driven tailwind has further reinforced investor appetite for energy stocks, particularly upstream and integrated oil names, as market participants continue to price in the potential impact of sustained high crude prices on revenue growth, foreign exchange inflows, and fiscal stability. 

As a result, the oil & gas sector remains a key pillar of the ongoing rally, complementing strength in the banking space.”

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Lekki Port Phase 2 construction set for kick-off, says Lagos govt

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Lekki Deep Seaport

By Godwin Oritse

Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has announced that work on Phase 2 of the Lekki Port project will commence soon, a move aimed at strengthening the state’s position as West Africa’s leading maritime and logistics hub.

Speaking at the Invest Lagos Summit 3.0 held in Lagos earlier in this week, Sanwo-Olu highlighted the State’s commitment to expanding critical infrastructure and attracting investment.

He explained that the expansion of the Port will significantly enhance cargo handling capacity, strengthen maritime trade, and deepen Lagos’ role as a gateway to the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) market of over 1.4 billion people.

He stated: “With AfCFTA creating a market of over 1.4 billion people and a combined GDP exceeding $3 trillion, Lagos occupies a uniquely strategic position.

“The Lekki Deep Sea Port, within five years, is moving to phase two because it is almost reaching the full potential of its installed capacity. And just within five years, it is moving to phase two. These are not just aspirations but projects that have been implemented and are under implementation. They have been funded, progressing, and transforming the investment landscape of our State”.

In his remark, the Managing Director, Lekki Port, Wang Qiang, commended the Lagos State Government for maintaining a stable and investment-friendly environment.

He noted that the next phase of development will play a key role in expanding the port’s operational and cargo-handling capacity, improving logistics efficiency along the Lekki corridor, and attracting additional global shipping and logistics investments.

Qiang noted that the expansion aligns with Nigeria’s broader trade facilitation agenda and the increasing demands of regional and international shipping networks.

He stated: “We are deeply encouraged by the continued support of the Lagos State Government, whose infrastructure-led policies have created a stable and forward-looking environment for long-term maritime investment.

“The commencement of the next phase of development represents a significant milestone in our journey to expand capacity, enhance operational efficiency, and strengthen Lekki Port’s position as a premier gateway for West African trade under the AfCFTA framework.”

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NNPCL, security agencies intensify crackdown on pipeline vandals

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NNPCL, security agencies intensify crackdown on pipeline vandals

By Udeme Akpan &  Obas Esiedesa

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd.) and security agencies have intensified efforts to combat pipeline vandalism following the discovery of a damaged section of the Nigerian Pipelines and Storage Company (NPSC) crude oil pipeline at Pai Community, Kwali Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja.

The joint inspection involved NNPC’s Industry-wide Security Architecture (IWSA), NPSC, the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) Special Prosecution Team (SPT), the FCT Police Command, the Nigerian Army and other security stakeholders.

The exercise was aimed at assessing the extent of damage, advancing investigations and strengthening coordinated measures to protect critical national energy infrastructure from economic sabotage.

The visit followed the arrest of three suspected pipeline vandals in Piri and Pai communities through a joint operation involving ONSA’s Special Prosecution Team, the FCT Police Command and NNPC Ltd.’s IWSA.

NPSC, a subsidiary of NNPC Ltd., operates more than 5,000 kilometres of crude oil and petroleum products pipelines across Nigeria. However, pipeline attacks have increased in recent years, with criminal groups targeting infrastructure for illegal removal and theft.

Industry records show that 19 pipeline vandalism cases were recorded in 2025, leading to the theft of about nine kilometres of pipeline sections along the Enugu-Makurdi-Yola route and the Piri-Izom section of the Warri-Kaduna pipeline corridor.

So far in 2026, five cases have been reported, including incidents around Piri-Kwali and Gwagwalada along the Warri-Kaduna crude oil pipeline route, as well as Badanga on the Jos-Gombe pipeline corridor.

Speaking during the inspection, Group Chief Executive Officer of NNPC Ltd., Engr. Bashir Bayo Ojulari, represented by Chief Interface Officer, Dahiru Sani-Gwarzo, said the arrests represented an important step towards dismantling criminal networks behind attacks on energy infrastructure.

He said the security architecture was focused not only on apprehending those directly involved but also identifying sponsors and receivers of stolen pipeline materials.

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MTN Nigeria committed to transparency, consumer education  — CEO

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MTN’s public offer of 575m shares ends

By Peter Egwuatu

MTN Nigeria, MTNN Plc, has expressed its commitment to transparency and consumer education in its drive to strengthen trust, and promote greater digital literacy as data continues to play a central role in everyday life.

Dr Karl Toriola, Chief Executive Officer, MTNN, stated this at its public engagement platform code-named  Data on Trial  designed to address consumer concerns about mobile data usage, billing transparency, and digital consumption, stressing that the organisation is committed to transparency in both its financial performance and operations since it is a quoted company on  Nigerian Exchange Limited, NGX.

He stated: “Data on Trial  was created based on a simple belief. Trust, with our customer, grows when they are given access to the information and they are allowed to make up their mind about it. Today’s event is an opportunity for everyone to understand the facts, understand the technology behind what delivers technology in real time, and to ask the most difficult questions and hear different perspectives”.

Throughout the event, MTN’s technical experts responded to questions frequently raised by consumers, including concerns around data depletion, billing accuracy, background application activity, automatic updates, cloud synchronisation, video streaming, and multi-device connectivity.

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