Nigerian All-Share Index smashes 200,000 points milestone for the first time

The Nigerian stock market tracked by the All-Share Index jumped 3,067.6 points to close at 201,474.9 on Monday, March 16th, 2026, with BUA Cement leading gains.

This represents a 1.55% increase from 198,407.3 at the start of the week, as the market broke the 200,000-point threshold for the first time in history.

Market activity rose to 948.1 million shares, up from 590.8 million in the previous period, reflecting stronger participation and renewed investor interest across the Nigerian Exchange.

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Equity market capitalization hit N129.3 trillion, up from N126.3 trillion in the previous session, showing a N3 trillion increase

What the data is saying

Market sentiment remained bullish on March 16, 2026, lifting the Nigerian market’s year-to-date return to 29.47% as investors continued to position in selected equities.

• BUA Cement and Premier Paints led the gainers, rising 10.00% and 9.79%, while VFDGroup and Royalex fell 10.00% and 9.63% amid profit-taking during the session.

Sovereign Trust Insurance led trading with 72.5 million shares, followed by Access Holdings at 69.8 million and First HoldCo at 67.03 million. Zenith Bank (59.9 million) and Nigerian Breweries (55 million) also saw strong activity.

By market value, Zenith Bank recorded N5.9 billion, followed by Aradel at N5.57 billion, MTN at N5.56 billion, Nigerian Breweries at N4.03 billion, and Seplat at N3.5 billion.

Top 5 gainers

• BUA Cement — up 10.00% to N297.00
• Premier Paints — up 9.79% to N21.30
• John Holt — up 9.52% to N10.35
• Guinea Insurance — up 9.38% to N1.40
• Fortis Global — up 9.32% to N1.29

**Top 5 losers **

• VFD Group — down 10.00% to N11.25
• Royalex — down 9.63% to N1.69
• Omatek — down 9.62% to N2.35
• Sovereign Trust Insurance — down 9.00% to N1.92
• Regency Alliance — down 8.94% to N1.12

**SWOOTs Performance **

Among the SWOOTs—stocks with market capitalizations above N1 trillion—trading was broadly bullish, reflecting renewed investor interest in large-cap counters.

• BUA Cement rose 10.00%, MTNN gained 2.43%, Lafarge Africa added 1.92%, and Dangote Cement increased 1.01%.
• On the downside, Stanbic IBTC fell 0.74%.

**FUGAZ Performance **

Within the FUGAZ banking group, Zenith Bank gained 7.35%, UBA rose 5.49%, Access Holdings advanced 1.61%, GTCO increased 0.55%, and First HoldCo closed flat.

**What You Should Know **

• The index reached 201,474.9 points, its highest level ever, surpassing 200,000.
• Gains were driven by BUA Cement, FUGAZ banks, and modest increases in other trillion-naira stocks.
• A key resistance zone at 197,197 points was broken on March 13, 2026, paving the way for the rally.
• The market is currently in a strong bullish phase, with large-cap companies appearing to kick off another rally wave on the Exchange.

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