Nigerian Exchange (NGX) extended its losing streak on Thursday, July 30, 2026, as investors lost N1.005 trillion in market capitalisation, bringing the market’s cumulative loss over the past two trading sessions to more than N1.65 trillion.
Gatekeepers News reports that the decline followed sustained profit-taking in major stocks, including HBM Nigeria, NGX Group, NASCON Allied Industries, First HoldCo, and Zenith Bank, which dragged the benchmark index lower.
At the close of trading, the NGX All-Share Index (ASI) fell 0.66 percent to 245,362.26 points, compared with 246,980.17 points recorded in the previous session. Market capitalisation also declined to N158.34 trillion, down from N159.34 trillion, reducing the market’s year-to-date return to 57.67 percent.
Investor sentiment remained weak, with 45 stocks recording losses against 17 gainers, reflecting broad-based selling pressure across the market.
Market Summary
- All-Share Index (ASI): 245,362.26 points (-0.66%)
- Market Capitalisation: N158.34 trillion (-0.63%)
- Year-to-Date Return: +57.67%
- Trading Volume: 2.10 billion shares (+177.01%)
- Market Turnover: N230.83 billion (+583.04%)
- Total Deals: 48,231 (-12.71%)
- Market Breadth: 17 gainers, 45 losers
Top Gainers
- Legend Internet (+8.64%) to N4.40
- Daar Communications (+7.32%) to N1.76
- Sterling Financial Holdings (+6.67%) to N8.00
- Sovereign Trust Insurance (+5.73%) to N2.03
- Royal Exchange (+4.69%) to N1.34
Top Losers
- Tripple Gee & Company (-10.00%) to N2.88
- Lasaco Assurance (-9.92%) to N2.18
- C&I Leasing (-9.84%) to N5.50
- Mutual Benefits Assurance (-9.80%) to N3.22
- Trans-Nationwide Express (-9.03%) to N2.82
Sector Performance
Sectoral performance was largely negative, with the Insurance Index leading the decline after shedding 2.26 percent. The Banking Index followed with a 2.04 percent loss, while the Consumer Goods and Industrial indices fell 1.10 percent and 0.70 percent, respectively.
The Oil & Gas Index was the only bright spot, inching up 0.01 percent, while the Commodity Index closed flat.
Trading Activity
Despite the market’s decline, trading activity surged significantly.
Total trading volume rose 177.01 percent to 2.10 billion shares, while the value of transactions jumped 583.04 percent to N230.83 billion, although the number of deals declined by 12.71 percent to 48,231.
First HoldCo dominated trading, accounting for 1.57 billion shares valued at N196.20 billion, representing the largest share of the day’s turnover.
Other actively traded stocks included Access Holdings, Sterling Financial Holdings, Ellah Lakes, and Zenith Bank.
