- The stock market sustained its strong performance on Wednesday as investors traded over N36bn worth of shares
- The latest rally was driven by gains in mid- to large-cap stocks, particularly Chemical & Allied Products (CAP)
- Vitafoam, Trans-Nationwide Express, and NASCON were among the top gainers, while Neimeth topped the list of decliners
Legit.ng journalist Dave Ibemere has over a decade of business journalism experience with in-depth knowledge of the Nigerian economy, stocks, and general market trends.
The Nigerian stock market closed in positive territory on Wednesday, April 22, 2026, as the All-Share Index (ASI) rose by 1,336.4 points to settle at 219,586.20.
This represents a 0.61% increase from the previous close of 218,249.81 points.
Despite the upward movement, trading activity weakened as total volume declined to 683.68 million shares from 842.4 million shares recorded in the previous session.
Photo: Nurphoto
Source: Getty Images
Market capitalisation, however, rose significantly to N141.38 trillion from N140.5 trillion, with total transactions valued at N36.17 billion across 51,694 deals.
The market maintained a broadly bullish sentiment, with the year-to-date return increasing to 41.11%.
Sector performance
Gains in consumer goods, industrial, and banking stocks supported the market’s positive close, with strong buying interest across key sectors.
However, losses were recorded in some key stocks, as Wema Bank declined by 2.14%.
Top Gainers
- Chemical & Allied Products rose by 10.00% to close at N110.00.
- Trans-Nationwide Express gained 10.00% to N7.92.
- UACN advanced by 10.00% to N121.00.
- Vitafoam increased by 10.00% to N143.00.
- Transcorp Hotels climbed by 10.00% to N223.30.
Top Losers
- Neimeth declined by 10.00% to N9.00.
- Abbey Mortgage Bank fell by 9.85% to N5.95.
- LivingTrust dropped by 8.94% to N3.36.
- ABC Transport shed 8.65% to N5.70.
- Halldane McCall lost 6.23% to N3.61.
Photo: AFP
Source: Getty Images
Most active stocks
A total of 683.68 million shares valued at N36.17 billion were traded in 51,694 deals.
- First Holdco led trading volume with 76.6 million shares, followed by UBA with 55.2 million shares and Access Holdings with 52.4 million shares.
- GTCO and Jaiz Bank recorded 37.3 million and 30.1 million shares traded, respectively.
- By value, First Holdco also led with N5.7 billion in trades, followed by GTCO with N4.8 billion and UBA with N2.8 billion.
- Zenith Bank and Aradel Holdings recorded transactions worth N2.6 billion and N2.4 billion, respectively.
Zenith Bank sets new record
Legit.ng earlier reported that Zenith Bank Plc has become the first Nigerian lender to surpass the N5 trillion market capitalisation mark, reinforcing its position as the country’s
The milestone follows a sustained rally in the bank’s shares, supported by strong earnings performance and investor optimism around its planned listing on the London Stock Exchange by 2027.
Zenith Bank’s shares rose 0.9% to N124 at the close of trading on Wednesday, lifting its market capitalisation to N5.09 trillion from N4.72 trillion.
Source: Legit.ng