MTN, Aradel top market value as Nigerian All-Share Index dips 0.08%

The Nigerian All-Share Index closed lower on 4th March 2026, slipping 0.08% to 196,463.2 and pausing its steady advance toward the 200,000 psychological mark.

This 158.7-point decline from the previous close of 196,621.9 reflects a mild round of profit-taking, as investors trimmed positions following the market’s recent upward momentum.

Market activity also moderated, with 805 million shares traded across 71,312 deals, down from 879.9 million shares recorded in the prior session.

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Equity capitalization stood at N126.09 trillion, with MTN Nigeria and Aradel Holdings dominating value traded after each posted over N5.7 billion in transactions.

**What the data is saying **

Market momentum turned slightly bearish, although the year-to-date return remained firm at over 26%.

• Buying interest persisted in select counters, lifting Premier Paints by 10.00% and Fortis Global Insurance by 9.73% on renewed demand.
• On the flip side, profit-taking dragged down Dangote Sugar Refinery and Jaiz Bank, with both stocks shedding 10.00% apiece.

In volume terms, Veritas Kapital Assurance led the activity chart with 56.4 million shares traded, followed by Jaiz Bank at 51.02 million shares.

Universal Insurance recorded 48.3 million shares, while Zenith Bank and Access Holdings posted 47.6 million and 46.3 million shares, respectively.

By value, MTN Nigeria topped turnover with N7.07 billion, ahead of Aradel Holdings at N5.7 billion, Zenith Bank at N4.3 billion, GTCO at N2.9 billion, and Oando at N2.1 billion.

**Top 5 Gainers **

• Premier Paints— up 10.00% to N12.10
• Fortis Global Insurance— up 9.73% to N1.24
• UACN— up7.78% to N115.00
• Eterna— up6.38% to N35.00
• Custodian— up6.06% to N70.00

**Top 5 Losers **

• JaizBank— down 10.00% to N10.80
• Dangote Sugar— down10.00% to N74.70
• Chemical &Allied — down 9.97% to N84.85
• UnionDiconSalt — down 9.94% to N14.95
• Haldane McCall— down9.89% to N3.92

**SWOOTs and FUGAZ Performance **

Among SWOOTs (stocks valued above N1 trillion), performance was largely negative.

• Ecobank slipped 4.46%, International Breweries was down 1.64%, Nigerian Breweries shed 0.56%, and Wema Bank declined 0.36%.
• On the flip side, MTN gained 1.28%.

**On the FUGAZ side: **

• Access Holdings fell 1.89%, First Holdco slipped 0.09%.
• UBA gained 1.17%, GTCO rose 0.08%, while Zenith closed flat.

**What you should know **

Despite the slight daily decline, the Nigerian All-Share Index remains strongly bullish in the long term as it eyes the 200,000 level.

• Technically, the market is overbought and may soon see select stocks that drove the recent surge begin to retrace or dip.
• Any potential pullback is expected to be shallow or moderate, depending on the intensity of selling activity in the coming sessions.

A renewed wave of buying in large-cap stocks could still propel the index toward 200,000.