Nigerian Stock Market Hits 2025 High as Heavyweight Stocks Propel All-Share Index Beyond 130,000 Points

The Nigerian stock market capped off its strongest week of 2025 as the NGX All-Share Index surged by 5,436.07 points to close at 131,585.66, marking a 4.31% weekly gain. This performance not only extended the market’s winning streak to eight consecutive weeks but also reflected a spike in investor participation, with weekly trading volumes rising from 5.3 billion to 5.9 billion shares. This bullish sentiment was underpinned by gains in blue-chip stocks, solidifying Customs Street’s momentum as a standout performer among African bourses.

Market capitalization jumped significantly from ₦79.8 trillion to ₦83.2 trillion during the trading week ended July 18. Despite the strong upward trend, market breadth was mixed, as only 49 stocks advanced compared to 90 the previous week, while 54 declined and 44 remained unchanged. Nonetheless, the positive trajectory was largely driven by significant gains in market heavyweights like BUA Cement and Dangote Cement, reinforcing the influence of large-cap equities in driving broad index performance.

Trading activity spanned four sessions due to the July 15 public holiday in honor of the late former President Muhammadu Buhari. The index climbed steadily each day, with notable milestones including breaking the 128,000 mark midweek and finally surpassing 130,000 on Thursday. The week ended on a high note with a 1% gain on Friday. Sectorally, the NGX Premium Index saw a 6.97% rise, followed by strong advances in the NGX 30 and Main Board indices.

Among the top-performing sectors, the Industrial Goods Index rose an astonishing 19.17%, fueled by a 31.28% rally in BUA Cement and 16.47% in Dangote Cement. The Banking Index gained 5.36%, supported by notable moves in STANBIC IBTC and FIRSTHOLDCO. In contrast, Insurance and Oil & Gas sectors struggled, with respective declines of 3.65% and 0.76%. The top gainers list included EUNISELL INTERLINKED PLC, Associated Bus Company, Nestle Nigeria, and CAP Plc, while laggards like ACADEMY PRESS and RT BRISCOE bore the brunt of profit-taking.

In corporate news, Prestige Assurance Plc mourned the death of its Executive Director, and Seplat Energy announced its H1 2025 earnings date. FirstHold was also in focus after a large share transaction sparked speculation, which the company clarified. Looking ahead, analysts suggest that unless the market becomes overbought or investors shift to a wait-and-see approach ahead of Q2 earnings, the ASI could push toward 135,000 in the near term.

Source: Nairametrics