Equities trading on the floor of the Nigerian Exchange Group ended the week on a positive note, as key performance indicators recorded notable gains despite a shortened trading period.
At the close of trading, the All-Share Index appreciated by 1.39 per cent to settle at 201,156.86 points, while market capitalisation rose correspondingly to ₦129.126 trillion.
However, sectoral performance was mixed, with most indices closing in positive territory. Losses were recorded in the NGX Insurance Index, which declined by 0.42 per cent, the NGX AFR Dividend Yield Index, down by 2.34 per cent, and the NGX Consumer Goods Index, which dipped by 0.10 per cent.
The NGX Oil and Gas Index recorded a significant drop of 4.78 per cent, while the NGX Lotus II Index and NGX Commodity Index fell by 2.76 per cent and 4.91 per cent, respectively. Meanwhile, the NGX Sovereign Bond Index closed flat.
Trading activities were limited to three days during the week, following the Federal Government’s declaration of Thursday, March 19 and Friday, March 20, 2026, as public holidays to mark the Eid al-Fitr celebration.
A review of market turnover showed that investors traded a total of 8.761 billion shares valued at ₦267.253 billion in 193,473 deals. This represents a significant increase compared to the previous week’s turnover of 3.321 billion shares worth ₦164.845 billion exchanged in 318,907 deals.
Market breadth also improved, with 48 equities recording price appreciation, up from 34 in the preceding week. Meanwhile, 43 equities declined in price, lower than the 61 recorded previously, while 57 equities remained unchanged, slightly higher than the 53 reported last week.
Sectoral analysis indicated that ‘the ICT industry dominated trading by volume, accounting for 5.330 billion shares valued at ₦46.825 billion in 21,573 deals.’ This contributed 60.84 per cent and 17.52 per cent to total equity turnover volume and value respectively.
The Financial Services industry followed, with 2.765 billion shares worth ₦95.892 billion traded in 75,103 deals, while the Consumer Goods industry ranked third, recording 174.484 million shares valued at ₦20.805 billion in 20,693 deals.
Further analysis of trading patterns showed that the top three equities by volume—E-Tranzact International Plc, FCMB Group Plc, and Wema Bank Plc—accounted for a combined turnover of 6.084 billion shares worth ₦40.661 billion in 5,570 deals. This contributed 69.44 per cent and 15.21 per cent to the total equity turnover volume and value respectively.
Overall, the market closed the week on a bullish trajectory, reflecting sustained investor interest and improved market sentiment.