NGX loses N613 billion as Unilever, consumer goods stocks extend market selloff
By Aboki Forex —
The Nigerian equities market fell for a fourth straight session on Thursday, August 13, 2026, as sustained profit-taking in consumer goods and selected large-cap stocks pushed the NGX All-Share Index down 0.39% and wiped approximately N613.09 billion from investors' wealth.
The decline followed Monday's record close of 248,529.75 points, when market capitalisation crossed N160 trillion. Since then, the market has lost about N3.54 trillion in value.
Market summary
The All-Share Index dropped to 243,017.38 points from 243,967.09 points on Wednesday. Market capitalisation fell to N156.88 trillion from N157.49 trillion, down from Monday's record N160.42 trillion.
Year-to-date return moderated to 56.17%. Week-to-date, the index is down 2.22% from Monday's peak, losing roughly 5,512 points.
Trading activity surged. Total volume rose 191.22% to 4.24 billion shares, while market turnover jumped 141.92% to N50.65 billion across 41,454 transactions.
Market breadth was negative, with 27 stocks gaining against 40 decliners.
Top gainers and losers
Unilever Nigeria was the biggest heavyweight drag, plunging 9.97% to N118.30 from N131.40, losing N13.10 per share. Chellarams dropped 9.66% to N10.75. Nigerian Breweries declined 1.13% to N69.70.
Other major losers included Access Holdings, down 3.28% to N26.50; Zenith Bank, down 2.24% to N122.00; Transcorp, down 2.63% to N37.00; and GTCO, down 0.39% to N128.00.
Among the losers, Nigerian Infrastructure Debt Fund fell 9.55% to N147.70, Daar Communications dropped 9.25% to N1.57, and Cornerstone Insurance declined 9.09% to N5.00.
On the upside, Ecobank Transnational Incorporated led blue-chip gainers, advancing 3.64% to N74.00. Fidelity Bank rose 2.33% to N22.00, Wema Bank gained 2.94% to N29.80, and UBA advanced 1.21% to N46.00. Neimeth International Pharmaceuticals added 6.21% to N8.55.
Top gainers also included International Energy Insurance, up 10.00% to N4.84; John Holt, up 9.89% to N10.00; Trans-Nationwide Express, up 9.75% to N2.59; Sunu Assurances, up 8.48% to N3.58; and NEM Insurance, up 6.25% to N34.00.
Sector performance and trading activity
Sectoral performance was largely negative. The Consumer Goods Index fell 1.22% to 4,056.39 points. The Industrial Index declined 0.75% to 10,379.12 points. The Insurance Index fell 0.54% to 1,145.85 points. The Banking Index slipped 0.27% to 2,553.87 points, despite gains in ETI, Fidelity Bank, Wema Bank and UBA. The Oil & Gas Index edged down 0.07% to 5,234.92 points.
The sharp rise in volume and turnover, alongside the decline, suggests investors are actively repositioning portfolios as profit-taking intensifies.
For Nigerian businesses and investors, the correction is concentrated in consumer goods and financial stocks, with Unilever's near-10% fall leading the drag. However, gains in selected banking and insurance counters show buying interest has not disappeared, and the market's ability to stabilise depends on whether heavy selling in large-cap names continues.