Nigerian Exchange Surges 2.78% on Banking Stock Demand

The Nigerian Exchange Limited reported a bullish trading week ending on 18 September 2026, with the NGX All-Share Index rising by 2.78% to close at 249,804.60 points. This growth was primarily fueled by robust investor demand for financial equities, particularly in banking stocks, which offset losses in other sectors.

The market capitalization increased to N163.50 trillion, with a total turnover of 3.20 billion shares valued at N168.67 billion traded over 287,919 deals, reflecting increases of 23.83% in volume and 30.81% in value compared to the previous week. The financial services sector led trading activity, with significant contributions from Fidelity Bank Plc, Sterling Financial Holdings Company Plc, and Mutual Benefits Assurance Plc.

Market breadth improved, showing 61 gainers against 32 losers, with Sovereign Trust Insurance Plc leading the gainers at a 30.95% increase to N2.20 per share, while Transcorp Power Plc saw the largest decline at 18.94%, closing at N178.00 per share.