Trading activity on the Nigerian Exchange recorded a sharp increase in the week ended August 14, 2026, as investors exchanged 12.153bn shares valued at N176.058bn across 224,146 deals.
The performance represents a 126.8 per cent increase in traded volume compared with the 5.359bn shares worth N139.053bn exchanged in 261,869 deals in the previous week.
Turnover value also increased by 26.6 per cent, while the number of deals declined by about 14.4 per cent.
The increase in activity was also reflected in other market indicators, with market depth improving to 27.76 per cent from 21.67 per cent in the previous week.
Average daily value traded also rose to N35.21bn from N27.81bn.
The Financial Services Industry dominated market activity, accounting for 11.212bn shares valued at N88.991bn across 102,246 deals.
The sector contributed 92.25 per cent of total equity turnover by volume and 50.55 per cent by value.
The Information and Communication Technology Industry followed with 246.127m shares worth N51.605bn traded in 27,169 deals.
The Services Industry ranked third, recording 198.195m shares valued at N1.995bn across 13,747 deals.
Trading activity was particularly concentrated in Fortis Global Insurance Plc, Cornerstone Insurance Plc and Consolidated Hallmark Holdings Plc.
The three equities accounted for 9.488bn shares worth N36.219bn in 1,781 deals, representing 78.07 per cent of total equity turnover volume and 20.57 per cent of turnover value during the week.
The surge in market liquidity reflects ongoing portfolio rebalancing across the financial sector, as institutional investors position themselves ahead of corporate earnings releases and capital restructuring initiatives across insurance and banking institutions.
The fixed-income segment also recorded increased activity during the week.
Investors traded 232,979 units valued at N226.258m in 35 deals, compared with 117,372 units worth N121.249m in the previous week.
In the Exchange Traded Products segment, 2.346m units valued at N501.051m were traded across 5,291 deals.
Despite the surge in trading activity, the broader equities market closed lower as investors took profits following recent gains.
The NGX All-Share Index declined by 1.20 per cent to 242,619.20 points, while market capitalisation fell by 1.19 per cent to N156.624tn.
Market breadth, however, improved during the week.
Twenty-six equities appreciated, unchanged from the previous week, while the number of declining equities fell to 59 from 63.
Sixty-two equities closed unchanged, compared with 58 in the preceding week.
The market breadth ratio consequently improved to 0.69x from 0.62x, indicating a narrower gap between gainers and decliners despite the decline in the benchmark index.
Trans-Nationwide Express Plc led the gainers’ chart with a 32.09 per cent increase.
International Energy Insurance Plc followed with a 31.68 per cent gain, while Sovereign Trust Insurance Plc advanced by 13.77 per cent.
On the losers’ chart, AVA Capital Plc led with a 34.55 per cent decline.
Unilever Nigeria Plc followed, shedding 18.94 per cent, while Zichis Agro Allied Industries Plc fell by 15.08 per cent.
Meanwhile, Lasaco Assurance Plc expanded its share capital following the listing of 9.236bn additional ordinary shares on the NGX Daily Official List on Wednesday, August 12, 2026.
The additional shares arose from the company’s rights issue of five new ordinary shares for every six existing shares held as of February 20, 2026.
Following the listing, Lasaco Assurance’s issued and fully paid-up share capital increased from 11.084bn shares to 20.320bn ordinary shares of 50 kobo each.
The expanded capital base comes as Nigerian insurers strengthen their balance sheets to meet regulatory requirements set by the National Insurance Commission and enhance their underwriting capacity across high-value risks.
Despite the weekly decline, the broader market remained firmly positive for the year.
As of August 14, the NGX All-Share Index had recorded a year-to-date return of 55.91 per cent.
Sectoral performance was even stronger across key segments, with the NGX Oil and Gas Index gaining 94.81 per cent year-to-date.
The NGX Premium Index followed with an 85.14 per cent gain, while the NGX Industrial Goods Index advanced 82.84 per cent.
The strong year-to-date performance underscores the resilience of Nigerian equities in 2026, even as investors continue to navigate short-term profit-taking and portfolio rebalancing cycles.
