The Nigerian equities market sustained its bullish momentum as investors continued to accumulate fundamentally strong stocks, pushing key performance indicators higher at the close of trading. The market capitalisation opened the session at N134.772tn and advanced to N136.435tn, reflecting strong buying interest across several counters. Similarly, the All-Share Index climbed from 209,317.41 points at the opening bell to 211,901.02 points at the close, reinforcing the upward trajectory of the market.

Market breadth closed firmly positive with 45 gainers against 21 losers, highlighting the dominance of bullish sentiment during the trading session. Leading the gainers’ chart were Guinea Insurance and Trans-Nationwide Express, both of which appreciated by 10.00 per cent to close at N1.21 and N5.50, respectively. Aradel followed closely with a 9.99 per cent gain, closing at N1,547.50, while Ecobank Transnational Incorporated rose by 9.97 per cent to N61.20 and Daar Communications gained 9.93 per cent to end at N1.66.

On the laggards’ side, Ikeja Hotel led the decline with a 9.73 per cent drop to close at N33.40. Other notable decliners included Wapic Insurance, which shed 8.77 per cent to finish at N2.60, and CAP Plc, which fell 8.61 per cent to N95.00. International Energy Insurance and McNichols also recorded losses, declining 8.18 per cent and 5.82 per cent, respectively.

Meanwhile, several blue-chip and bellwether stocks closed flat, including Dangote Cement, Lafarge Africa, Okomu Oil Palm, Julius Berger, Cadbury Nigeria, and Unilever Nigeria Plc. This reflected cautious positioning in some heavyweight counters despite the broader market advance.

 Investor sentiment remained distinctly bullish, supported by sustained accumulation in mid-cap and financial stocks as market participants continued to position ahead of earnings releases and dividend expectations.

Looking ahead, analysts expect the positive momentum to persist into the next trading session, “supported by bargain hunting and continued portfolio rebalancing by investors”. However, intermittent profit-taking may emerge in stocks that have recorded significant gains in recent sessions, potentially moderating the pace of the rally.