December 24, (THEWILL) — The Nigerian equities market closed the shortened trading week on a positive note, with key indicators rising despite the week being limited to three sessions following the declaration of public holidays on Thursday and Friday to mark Christmas celebrations.
Market capitalisation rose to ₦97.890 trillion from an opening level of ₦97.011 trillion, reflecting a gain of ₦879 billion. The All-Share Index (ASI) advanced by 1,485.83 points, closing at 153,539.83 points from 152,054.00 points at the start of the week, representing a weekly appreciation of 0.97 percent.
Trading activity moderated this week, with a total turnover of 2.876 billion shares worth ₦63.832 billion in 80,229 deals, compared with 9.849 billion shares valued at ₦305.843 billion traded in the previous week.
The Financial Services sector dominated trading, contributing 68.99 percent of total equity volume and 51.20 percent of turnover value with 1.984 billion shares worth ₦32.680 billion. The Investment sector followed with 208.695 million shares valued at ₦2.264 billion, while the Conglomerates sector accounted for 147.002 million shares worth ₦6.085 billion.
The top three most actively traded stocks by volume, Abbey Mortgage Bank Plc, VFD Group Plc, and Custodian Investment Plc, accounted for 51.15 percent of total equity volume and 23.00 percent of total turnover value.
Top Gainers for the Week
LUMINIUM EXTRUSION IND. PLC surged 32.39 percent, (closing at ₦16.35 from ₦12.35).
AUSTIN LAZ & COMPANY PLC jumped 32.23 percent (to ₦3.20 from ₦2.42).
INTERNATIONAL BREWERIES PLC rose 20.83 percent (to ₦14.50 from ₦12.00).
MECURE INDUSTRIES PLC (added 18.55 percent).
FIRST HOLDCO PLC gained 17.91 percent (closing at ₦53.00 from ₦44.95).
Top Losers for the Week
LEGEND INTERNET PLC dropped 11.71 percent (to ₦4.90 from ₦5.55).
CHAMPION BREW. PLC fell 11.50 percent(to ₦15.00 from ₦16.95).
NEM INSURANCE PLC declined 8.37 percent (to ₦24.10 from ₦26.30).
AXAMANSARD INSURANCE PLC shed 7.14 percent (to ₦13.00 from ₦14.00).
ASSOCIATED BUS COMPANY PLC lost 6.57 percent, (closing at ₦3.27 from ₦3.50).
Trading in the fixed-income market was subdued, with 32,952 units valued at ₦34.276 million exchanged in 21 deals, compared with 108,736 units worth ₦110.569 million transacted last week.
Investor sentiment remained cautiously positive, supported by gains in consumer and industrial stocks amid lighter trading volumes due to the shortened week. Selective buying and bargain-hunting dominated activity, while profit-taking in underperforming stocks kept the market breadth moderate.
Looking ahead to the next trading week, the market is expected to maintain a measured upward bias, with investors likely focusing on fundamentally strong equities, year-end portfolio adjustments, and early positioning for January 2026. Liquidity and sector-specific performance, particularly in financial services and consumer goods, will be key drivers of market activity.
Ogochukwu Onwaeze
