Nigerian Stock Market Ends Week Lower As Sell Pressure Persists

June 26 () — The Nigerian equities market extended its losing streak on Friday as persistent sell pressure across key counters dragged market performance lower, reflecting continued cautious investor sentiment.

Market capitalisation declined by ₦983 billion, closing at ₦148.905 trillion from the opening value of ₦149.888 trillion. Likewise, the All-Share Index (ASI) shed 1,531.81 basis points to settle at 232,049.02, down from 233,580.83 at the start of trading.

Market breadth closed negative, with 13 gainers against 38 decliners, underscoring the dominance of bearish sentiment during the session.

Top 5 gainers for the session
Leading the gainers’ chart was Universal Insurance Plc, which appreciated by 6.32 percent, (rising from ₦0.95 to ₦1.01).
McNichols Plc followed with a 5.52 percent gain, (advancing from ₦8.15 to ₦8.60).
Linkage Assurance Plc added 4.67 percent, (climbing from ₦1.50 to ₦1.57).
NGX Group Plc rose by 4.35 percent, (increasing from ₦115.00 to ₦120.00).
Transcorp Plc rounded out the top five gainers with a 3.62 pe cent appreciation (from ₦40.05 to ₦41.50).

Top 5 decliners for the session
Aradel Holdings Plc led the decliners after shedding 10.00 percent, (dropping from ₦1,575.00 to ₦1,417.50).
International Energy Insurance Plc declined by 9.95 percent (from ₦6.43 to ₦5.79).
Trans-Nationwide Express Plc lost 9.89 percent, (closing at ₦3.28 from ₦3.64).
eTranzact International Plc fell by 9.79 percent (from ₦16.35 to ₦14.75).
UPDC Plc shed 9.72 percent, (declining from ₦3.60 to ₦3.25).

Meanwhile, Lafarge Africa Plc, Seplat Energy Plc, UACN Plc, Julius Berger Nigeria Plc, John Holt Plc, and several other blue-chip stocks closed the session unchanged.
Market sentiment remained weak as decliners outpaced gainers by a wide margin, reflecting sustained profit-taking and cautious positioning by investors.