Stock market investors gain N20bn amid buying interest

The Nigerian stock market maintained its positive momentum on Thursday, March 26, 2026, posting a marginal gain of N20 billion.

The uptrend was driven by sustained investor interest in equities such as Premier Paints, Zichis Agro Allied Industries, Legend Internet, John Holt, McNichols, and 25 others.

The market capitalisation rose by N20 billion, increasing from N128.977 trillion to N128.997 trillion, representing a 0.02 per cent growth.

The All-Share Index also advanced by 32.14 points, or 0.02 per cent, to close at 200,957.89, up from 200,925.75 recorded in the previous session.

The Year-to-Date (YTD) return climbed to 29.14 per cent, while the market breadth closed negative with 36 losers and 30 gainers.

University Press led the losers’ chart by 9.17 per cent, settling at N5.45, Sunu Assurances trailed by 8.88 per cent, finishing at N4.31, while Veritas Kapital Assurance fell by 6.98 per cent, closing at N2 per share.

FTN Cocoa Processors dipped by 6.67 per cent, ending the session at N5.60, and NGX Group went down by 6.46 per cent, finishing at N168.75 per share.

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Conversely, Premier Paints and Zichis Agro Allied Industries led the gainers’ chart by 10 per cent each, settling at N34.10 and N12.54 per share respectively.

Legend Internet increased by 9.92 per cent, ending the session at N7.98, John Holt climbed by 9.87 per cent, finishing at N17.25, while Mc Nichols added by 9.76 per cent, closing at N6.75 per share.

The market activity was up for the day, with total volume traded up 26.05 per cent to 678.13 million, valued at N33.14 billion across 42,222 deals.

Access Corporation recorded the highest volume with 134.59 million shares traded, accounting for 19.85 per cent of the volume traded for the day.

MTN Nigeria recorded the highest value with N11.06 billion traded, accounting for 33.38 per cent of the day’s total value.

The Star