The benchmark All-Share Index (ASI) of the Nigerian Exchange closed positively on Monday, May 26, 2025, advancing by 0.79%, thereby pushing the year-to-date return to 6.76%.

Despite a drop in trading volume, market capitalization increased slightly to ₦69.29tr from ₦68.75tr recorded on Friday, spread across 16,400 transactions.

Leading the gainers were ARADEL (+9.98%), UPL (+9.86%), and ABC TRANS (+8.43%), while TRIPPLEG lost all of 10.00%, ahead of the 9.97% by MRS, and CHELLARAM (-9.96%) to top the losers’ list.

FIDELITYBK and CUSTODIAN were the most active stocks by volume, contributing to the day’s total transaction volume of 414.51m shares, lower than Friday’s 637.54m valued at ₦11.1 billion across 19,775 deals. A total of 127 stocks were traded.

In terms of value, GTCO led with ₦1.73bn worth of trades, followed by ZENITHBANK, ₦862.2m, FIDELITYBK, ₦855.4m, ARADEL, ₦791.7m, and ACCESSCORP, ₦783.6m.

Sectoral Performance

Most sectoral indices closed in the green, with the NGX Oil & Gas Index and NGX Industrial Goods Index posting notable gains due to rallies in ARADEL and other oil-linked stocks. The NGX Banking Index also edged higher, buoyed by strong investor appetite in GTCO, ZENITHBANK, and FIDELITYBK

Meanwhile, global oil prices remained stable. Brent crude dipped slightly by $0.04 to $64.74 per barrel, while U.S. WTI held steady at $61.53 as markets awaited the rescheduled OPEC+ meeting on May 31.

Outlook

The market is expected to remain sentiment-driven in the near term, with portfolio realignments and bargain hunting in dividend-paying and fundamentally resilient stocks likely to shape performance ahead of the upcoming earnings season and macroeconomic data releases.