Nigerian Stock Market Drops 984 Points as Four Stocks Hit 10% Loss; SEPLAT Leads Market Value

The Nigerian stock market closed the week on a sour note as the All-Share Index (ASI) fell 984.55 points on September 2, 2025, ending at 138,737.64. The decline, which represents a 0.70% drop from the previous session’s 139,722.19 points, was driven by sharp losses in key blue-chip stocks including LAFARGE and INTERNATIONAL BREWERIES, which dropped 9.88% and 6.72% respectively. Investors watched the market slip from start to finish, resulting in an estimated N156 billion erosion in market capitalization.

Trading activity remained steady, with 407 million shares changing hands across 31,406 deals. The market’s total capitalization declined slightly to N87.7 trillion from N88.4 trillion, reflecting the broad-based selling pressure. Among the most active stocks, GTCO and ACCESSCORP dominated the volume chart, exchanging 32.6 million and 29.7 million shares respectively, signaling continued investor interest in banking stocks despite overall market weakness.

On the gainers’ side, NCR and AUSTINLAZ emerged as top performers, climbing 9.96% and 9.66% respectively, while TANTALIZER, MULTIVERSE, and DEAPCAP also recorded notable gains. However, the market’s focus was on the steep losses, with PRESTIGE, CONHALLPLC, AIICO, and WEMABANK each hitting the maximum 10% decline for the day, highlighting the uneven recovery among mid-cap stocks.

In terms of market value, SEPLAT led with N28.4 billion worth of trades, far outpacing other active stocks like GTCO (N3.0 billion), ZENITHBANK (N1.2 billion), ACCESSCORP (N775.2 million), and UBA (N686.9 million). Among major indices, SWOOT stocks saw mixed performance: FIDELITY BANK rose 0.71%, while LAFARGE and INTERNATIONAL BREWERIES weighed down the index with double-digit losses. FUGAZ stocks also had a subdued showing, with ZENITHBANK gaining 0.93% as other large caps posted minor declines.

Market analysts suggest the current pullback in the ASI could continue if bearish sentiment persists, particularly among banking and other large-cap stocks. The coming sessions will be crucial in determining whether this decline is a shallow correction or a deeper market retreat, as investors monitor trends in trading volumes and value.

Source: Nairametrics