Foreign investors sold off N576.09 billion worth of equities on the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) between January and June 2025, marking an 84.97% increase compared to N311.41 billion in the same period of 2024, according to the NGX’s June 2025 Domestic and Foreign Portfolio Investment Report.
The foreign outflows exceeded inflows, which stood at N559.25 billion, resulting in a net negative foreign portfolio position of N16.84 billion for the first half of the year.
Total foreign transactions surged to N1.14 trillion, more than double the N540.48 billion recorded in H1 2024 — reflecting heightened foreign trading activity amid shifting global dynamics.
Economists have attributed the increased capital flight to market instability caused by U.S. President Donald Trump’s policies, along with attractive yields on Nigerian Treasury Bills, which prompted large-scale equity sell-offs.
Meanwhile, domestic investors dominated market activity, accounting for N3.06 trillion, or 72.92% of total trades between January and June 2025. This represents a 41.5% increase from N2.17 trillion in the same period of 2024.
Within domestic trading, institutional investors contributed N1.59 trillion, while retail investors accounted for N1.47 trillion.
The trend underscores rising domestic investor confidence but also signals caution from foreign players amid macroeconomic uncertainties and shifting global capital flows.
