NGX YTD return falls below 50% for first time in 2026, wipes out N982.96 billion
By Aboki Forex —
The Nigerian Exchange All-Share Index year-to-date return dropped below the 50% mark for the first time in 2026. It closed at 49.12% on Friday, down from peaks above 60% recorded earlier in May.
The market has now lost more than eight percentage points of its earlier YTD return after a sustained selloff in less than two weeks. The All-Share Index fell 0.66% to close at 232,049.02 points, down from 233,580.83 points on Thursday.
The decline erased N982.96 billion from investor wealth in a single day. Market capitalisation closed at N148.91 trillion. It was the third consecutive session of losses.
Aradel Holdings led the losers' chart with a 10% maximum daily decline. Four FUGAZ banks — GTCO, First HoldCo, Access Holdings, and Zenith Bank — also fell, adding broad institutional weight to the session's selloff.
All seven tracked sectoral indices closed in negative territory. Selling pressure was relentless throughout Friday's session.
Market breadth was weak with 13 gainers versus 37 losers, a ratio of 0.35x. Total volume traded stood at 388.69 million shares, down 1.26%. Value traded was N18.43 billion, down 4.07%. Deals dropped 2.58% to 44,631 transactions.
Top gainers included Universal Insurance up 6.32% to N1.01, McNichols up 5.52% to N8.60, Linkage Assurance up 4.67% to N1.57, Nigerian Exchange Group up 4.35% to N120.00, and Transnational Corporation up 3.62% to N41.50.
Top losers included Aradel Holdings down 10% to N1,417.50, International Energy Insurance down 9.95% to N5.79, Trans-Nationwide Express down 9.89% to N3.28, eTranzact International down 9.79% to N14.75, and UPDC down 9.72% to N3.25.
Access Holdings led by volume with 33.22 million shares valued at N758.26 million. Wema Bank followed with 24.34 million shares worth N680.38 million.