Trading activities on the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) ended on a bullish note on Friday, August 22, 2025, as investors witnessed a significant surge in market turnover and volume, lifting key market indicators despite the week’s overall negative performance.
At the close of the last trading session of the week, a total of 767.75 million shares exchanged hands in 25,897 deals, with a corresponding market value of N25.23 billion. The day’s trading figures reflected a 34 percent increase in volume and a 96 percent improvement in turnover when compared with Thursday’s session, underscoring renewed investor appetite. The market capitalization of listed equities stood at N89.2 trillion.
A total of 127 equities participated in Friday’s trading, with 52 stocks recording price appreciation against 13 decliners, while 62 closed flat. Beta Glass Company Plc led the gainers’ chart with a 10 percent increase, closing at N449.35 per share. It was closely followed by UPDC Plc, FTN Cocoa Processors Plc, and Veritas Kapital Assurance Plc, all advancing by 10 percent each.
On the flip side, Thomas Wyatt Nigeria Plc topped the losers’ chart after shedding 9.91 percent to close at N3.00 per share. McNichols Plc followed with a 7.51 percent drop, while The Initiates Plc and E-Tranzact International Plc lost 4.43 percent and 3.98 percent respectively.
In terms of activity, FCMB Group Plc emerged as the most traded stock for the day with 136 million units, reflecting strong investor interest. It was trailed by Aiico Insurance Plc with 43.7 million units, Nigerian Breweries Plc with 43.3 million units, and Wapic Insurance Plc with 33.3 million units.
Performance across the NGX indices showed a mixed picture. The benchmark All-Share Index (ASI) gained 671.70 points or 0.48 percent to close at 141,004.14 points. This brought its week-to-date performance to a decline of 2.51 percent, while posting a 4.87 percent gain on a four-week basis and a year-to-date return of 37 percent.
Sectoral indices also closed positive, led by the NGX Insurance Index which surged by 7.06 percent, extending its impressive year-to-date growth to 80.62 percent despite a 4.17 percent weekly decline. The NGX Consumer Goods Index rose by 1.08 percent, the NGX Banking Index advanced by 0.83 percent, the NGX Main Board Index increased by 0.67 percent, while the NGX Pension Index added 0.65 percent. The NGX Top 30 Index also closed higher by 0.37 percent.
Market analysts believe the strong rebound in turnover and broad-based sectoral gains point to renewed investor confidence, driven by bargain hunting in fundamentally sound stocks and sustained interest in the financial services and consumer goods sectors. However, they note that volatility is likely to persist in the short term as investors continue to react to corporate earnings and macroeconomic developments.
