Stock Market Investors Gain ₦7.25 Trillion in October Despite Weekly Profit-Taking Pressure

Investors on the Nigerian Exchange Limited (NGX) recorded massive gains of over ₦7.25 trillion in October 2025, pushing the total market capitalization to ₦97.83 trillion, up from ₦90.58 trillion in September. The impressive growth highlights renewed investor participation in equities, driven by improved corporate performance and optimism surrounding economic reforms.

However, the market took a breather last week as profit-taking activities dragged the NGX All-Share Index down by 0.97%, resulting in a loss of about ₦963 billion. The index closed lower in four out of five trading sessions, snapping a seven-week winning streak that had seen consistent gains across several blue-chip stocks.

Market analysts attributed the weekly decline to weak risk appetite and macroeconomic headwinds, including tightening monetary policies and persistent inflationary pressure. Despite this, the NGX All-Share Index still gained 7.9% month-on-month, closing October at 154,126.45 points from 142,710.48 points in September. This brought the year-to-date gain to 49.74%, signaling resilience in Nigeria’s equities market.

Sectoral performance showed mixed outcomes, with Insurance, Consumer Goods, Banking, and Industrial Goods indices closing negative, while the Oil & Gas Index recorded a modest 0.3% gain. Trading activity, however, improved significantly, as average trading volume and value rose 102.7% and 12.2% week-on-week, respectively—indicating sustained investor engagement despite short-term selloffs.

Looking ahead, experts at Cordros Research and InvestData Consulting project a volatile but selective trading pattern in the coming weeks. They expect investors to focus on fundamentally strong stocks, particularly in the banking and energy sectors, as they navigate a mix of profit-taking, high interest rates, and cautious optimism heading into the year’s final quarter.

source: Vanguard