ABCTRANS, three others hit daily gain as All-Share Index breaks 156,000 level 

The Nigerian stock market kicked off 2026 on a positive note, with the All-Share Index (ASI) adding 879.3 points, or 0.57%, to close at 156,492.4 on Friday, January 2, 2026.

Trading data from the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) showed the index rising from 155,612.9, as bullish sentiment persisted on the bourse.

However, market activity was more subdued, with trading volume dropping sharply to 424 million shares from the 1.2 billion shares recorded in the final session of 2025.

What the data is saying 

The market’s 0.57% gain on the day signals a strong start to the year, with the ASI firmly above the 156,000 level, pushing the year-to-date return to 0.57%. Market capitalisation stood at N99.90 trillion, just shy of the N100 trillion psychological threshold.

• Top gainers for the session were ABCTRANS, DEAPCAP, FTNCOCOA, MBENEFIT, and ALEX, all posting near or maximum gains of 10%.
• On the downside, ABBEYBDS and FCMB led decliners, shedding 6.25% and 5.81% respectively.
• In terms of trading volume, CHAMS dominated with 115.2 million shares exchanged, followed by LINKASSURE and LASACO.
• For transaction value, ARADEL stood out with trades worth N10.7 billion, ahead of SEPLAT’s N6.3 billion and GTCO’s N749.2 million.

More on market movers and performance 

The session showed strong interest in both large- and mid-cap stocks.

Among the trillion-naira club (SWOOTs), ARADEL gained 7.51% while International Breweries rose 1.79%. However, SEPLAT and Nigerian Breweries recorded losses of 3.43% and 0.66%, respectively.

The Tier-1 banking stocks, collectively known as FUGAZ, performed strongly.

• Access Holdings surged 9.52%, followed by Zenith Bank (+4.37%), UBA (+3.24%), FirstHoldco (+1.88%), and GTCO (+1.76%).

Why this matters 

The market’s strong opening suggests investors are optimistic about 2026, possibly positioning for early gains as the corporate earnings season approaches.

• The broad-based rally, especially in heavyweight stocks, implies institutional activity is back after the holiday lull.

A breach of the N100 trillion market cap threshold in the coming days would mark a symbolic and psychological boost for investor sentiment.

What you should know 

• The positive start to 2026 builds on a strong close in 2025, when the NGX recorded broad-based gains largely supported by banking and energy stocks.
• The drop in trading volume likely reflects a post-holiday cooldown, although the level of value traded indicates that sizeable, big-ticket transactions are still taking place.
• In the weeks ahead, analysts are expected to monitor dormant stocks and recent underperformers for signs of renewed interest and bargain-hunting activity.