Nigerian Stock Market Closes Trading Week Low Ahead of Public Holiday
- The stock market extended its losing streak to two days, pushing this week’s return further into negative territory
- The decline was driven by profit-taking across major stocks, particularly in key sectors of the market
- Red Star Express, Aradel Holdings, and Presco were among the top decliners
Legit.ng journalist Dave Ibemere has experience in business journalism, with in-depth knowledge of the Nigerian economy, the stock market, and broader market trends.
The Nigerian stock market closed negatively for the second consecutive session on Wednesday, March 18, 2026, as investors offloaded shares ahead of the Eid-el-Fitr break.
Data showed that the downturn was largely driven by sell-offs in heavily capitalised stocks, reflecting cautious sentiment among investors.
Source: Getty Images
The market’s year-to-date return eased to 29.27%, while recent losses dragged weekly performance lower.
At the close of trading, the NGX All-Share Index (ASI) declined from 201,474.89 points to 201,156.85 points, while market capitalisation dropped to N129.13 trillion.
Sector performance
Losses were broad-based across major sectors of the market, driven by sustained profit-taking activities.
Top losers
- Red Star Express fell from N28.55 to N25.70, shedding N2.85 (–9.98%).
- Aradel Holdings dropped from N1,340.00 to N1,210.30, losing N129.70 (–9.68%).
- Presco declined from N1,875.60 to N1,701.10, down N174.50 (–9.30%).
- LivingTrust Mortgage Bank slipped from N5.24 to N4.80, losing N0.44 (–8.40%).
- Daar Communications decreased from N2.00 to N1.85, shedding N0.15 (–7.50%).
Top gainers
- NSL Tech rose from N1.20 to N1.32, gaining N0.12 (+10.00%).
- Guinness Nigeria advanced from N385.00 to N423.20, up N38.20 (+9.92%).
- John Holt increased from N10.80 to N11.85, gaining N1.05 (+9.72%).
- Sovereign Trust Insurance climbed from N1.88 to N2.06, adding N0.18 (+9.57%).
- Linkage Assurance appreciated from N1.50 to N1.64, rising N0.14 (+9.33%).
Source: Facebook
Most active stocks
A total of 6.06 billion shares valued at N130.06 billion were traded in 58,562 deals.
- ETranzact International led trading activity with 5.17 billion shares worth N24.29 billion.
- Wema Bank recorded 111.40 million shares valued at N3.08 billion.
- Wapic Insurance traded 96.42 million shares worth N304 million.
- Dangote Cement posted 75.24 million shares valued at N56.48 billion.
- Access Holdings recorded 61.45 million shares worth N1.59 billion.
Banks deposit over N30 trillion with CBN
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that Nigerian banks have increased their deposits with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), lodging about N30 trillion within five days.
Available data shows that the massive deposits highlight banks’ continued reluctance to lend to the real economy amid prevailing economic uncertainty.
Financial institutions placed about N30.64 trillion with the apex bank through the Standing Deposit Facility (SDF) window within five trading sessions.
The SDF is the rate at which commercial and merchant banks deposit funds with the CBN.
Source: Legit.ng
