The Nigerian Exchange Limited (NGX) experienced a significant rebound on Wednesday, with a single-day gain of N2.59 trillion. This uptrend marks the first major recovery since the Nigerian stock market was impacted by US President Donald Trump’s military threat, which triggered a wave of panic selling.
The market capitalisation increased by 2.88%, rising from N89.88 trillion to N92.48 trillion, while the All-Share Index advanced by the same margin to close at 145,403.83 points, compared to 141,327.30 on Tuesday. The rebound was driven by strong performances from blue-chip stocks, including Guaranty Trust Holding Company (GTCO), Nigerian Breweries, Ecobank Transnational, Access Corporation, and AXA Mansard, which all appreciated by 10% each.
These stocks closed at N85.80, N66, N34.65, N22, and N13.31 per share, respectively. The positive sentiment pushed the Year-To-Date (YTD) return to 41.27%, with 65 gainers dominating 11 losers, reflecting renewed investor confidence after a week of steep losses. On the other hand, Transpower, Vitafoam, and Austinlaz led the laggards’ chart, each dropping 10% to close at N307.80, N84.60, and N2.61 per share.
Trading activity surged, with 806.4 million shares worth N50.78 billion exchanged in 24,509 deals, marking a 73% jump in turnover and a 23% rise in volume, despite a slight drop in the number of deals. GTCO topped the activity chart with 105 million shares traded, while Aradel Holdings recorded the highest transaction value of N12.91 billion.
The rebound comes after a turbulent week in which Nigerian equities shed over N2.8 trillion following Trump’s designation of Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern”, sparking widespread sell-offs and market anxiety. The significant gain recorded by the NGX is a positive development for the Nigerian stock market, which had experienced a period of instability. The market’s ability to recover from the recent downturn is a testament to its resilience and the confidence of investors in the Nigerian economy.
