The Nigerian Exchange (NGX) ended the last trading day of the week on a mixed note, recording a sharp rebound in market activity despite continued pressure on the benchmark index. Trading data for Friday, November 21, 2025, showed that investors exchanged 656.86 million shares valued at ₦25.59 billion in 18,815 deals, reflecting a significant improvement in market participation when compared with the previous session.
Friday’s performance represented an 88% jump in traded volume and a 175% rise in turnover, signalling renewed investor interest after days of cautious trading. The market capitalisation of listed equities stood at ₦92.3 trillion at the close of business.
A total of 129 listed companies participated in the session, but the market breadth closed negative as 17 stocks advanced while 39 declined. NCR Nigeria topped the gainers’ chart with a 9.89% appreciation to close at ₦41.10 per share, trailed by Ikeja Hotel, which rose 9.74%, Neimeth International Pharmaceuticals with a 9.09% uptick, and May & Baker Nigeria which gained 8.6%.
On the flip side, RT Briscoe led the laggards after shedding the maximum 10% to close at ₦3.15, followed closely by Legend Internet which fell 9.93%, International Energy Insurance down 9.79%, and Nigerian Aviation Handling Company (NAHCO) which lost 9.78% at the end of the session.
Banking stocks dominated the activity chart, with Access Holdings emerging as the most traded equity for the day after recording 129 million units. Zenith Bank followed with 91.5 million shares, UAC of Nigeria posted 74.4 million, while Guaranty Trust Holding Company (GTCO) accounted for 48.4 million shares.
Despite the surge in activity, the broader market remained under pressure as the NGX All-Share Index (ASI) fell by 396.12 points, or 0.27%, to close at 143,790.91. The decline extended the market’s weekly loss to 2.19% and deepened its four-week negative return to 7.62%, though the ASI still maintains a robust year-to-date gain of 39.7%.
Performance across key sectoral indices was also mixed. The NGX Top 30 Index slipped 0.2%, the Industrial Goods Index dipped marginally by 0.01%, the Pension Index fell 0.05%, while the Main Board Index equally eased 0.05%. Conversely, the Banking Index managed to close in positive territory with a 0.28% gain, and the Oil & Gas Index declined by 0.08%.
Market analysts say the rebound in turnover suggests pockets of bargain-hunting ahead of the final trading week of November, but persistent sell-offs in large-cap stocks continue to weigh on the overall index. Investors are expected to trade cautiously as they monitor macroeconomic signals and corporate disclosures heading into December.
