January 23, (THEWILL) — The Nigerian equity market closed marginally higher on Friday, January 23, 2026, even as selling pressure slightly outweighed buying interest across the market. The market opened at ₦105.885 and closed at ₦105.959, while the All-Share Index (ASI) advanced from 165,397.37 to 165,512.18.
Market breadth was negative, as 40 losers exceeded 34 gainers, indicating cautious trading and selective profit-taking by investors despite the modest uptick in headline indices.
The top gainers include:
MORISON 9.94 percent (₦6.84 to ₦7.52).
UHOMREIT appreciated by 9.94 percent (₦64.90 to ₦71.35).
SCOA gained 9.93 percent (₦21.65 to ₦23.80).
RTBRISCOE 9.93 percent (₦5.44 to ₦5.98).
AUSTINLAZ advanced 9.78 percent (₦4.09 to ₦4.49).
The top losers for the day include:
NEIMETH declined by -9.86 percent (₦14.70 to ₦13.25).
NSLTECH dropped -9.35 percent (dropping from ₦1.07 to ₦0.97).
ETERNA depreciated -8.23 percent (₦31.00 to ₦28.45).
UPL dipped by -6.25 percent (₦6.40 to ₦6.00).
EUNISELL fell by -5.84 percent (₦163.50 to ₦153.95).
Stocks which closed flat for the day include MTN Nigeria, Dangote Cement, Okomu Oil Palm, Presco Oil Plc, Custodian Investment Plc, and Julius Berger.
Overall sentiment remained cautious, with investors balancing bargain hunting in select counters against profit-taking in others. In the next trading session, market performance is likely to hinge on sustained demand for fundamentally strong stocks amid prevailing mixed sentiment.
Ogochukwu Onwaeze
