|By Adejumo Adekunle-
Guinness, Cadbury, NEM lead chart with 10% jump
Access Corp, Ellah Lakes top activity table
The Nigerian Exchange Limited (NGX) closed the week on a bullish note, with the stock market surging by ₦1.077 trillion on Friday, driven mainly by increased demand for banking and consumer goods stocks.
Key players in the rally included First Bank Holding Company, United Bank for Africa (UBA), FCMB, Guinness Nigeria, Cadbury Nigeria, and NEM Insurance, whose impressive performance pushed the market to one of its biggest weekly gains in 2025.
Data from the NGX showed that market capitalisation rose by 1.37%, settling at ₦79.803 trillion, compared to ₦78.726 trillion the previous day. In tandem, the All-Share Index (ASI) jumped by 1,702.79 points, closing at 126,149.59, up from 124,446.80 on Thursday.
Market breadth also closed positive, with 62 gainers overpowering 25 decliners.
On the gainers’ chart, Guinness Nigeria led the charge, appreciating by 10% to close at ₦96.80. Cadbury Nigeria also gained 10%, finishing at ₦60.50 per share.
NEM Insurance matched the momentum, climbing 10% to close at ₦22.00, while Consolidated Hallmark Holdings followed closely, gaining 10% to settle at ₦3.63. Red Star Express surged by 9.98%, ending the session at ₦13.44 per share.
However, the bullish tide did not lift all boats. Learn Africa dropped by 8.66%, closing at ₦6.01, while Tantalizer declined by 6.25%, ending at ₦3.00 per share. Prestige Assurance and Regalins also lost 6.02% and 5.62%, closing at ₦1.25 and 84k respectively. Oando Plc slipped 4.61%, settling at ₦51.70 per share.
Trading activity also showed strong momentum, with 1.39 billion shares valued at ₦30.55 billion exchanged in 33,399 deals, a rise from 1.3 billion shares worth ₦27.73 billion traded in 27,875 deals on Thursday.
Access Corporation led the activity chart, trading 172.92 million shares valued at ₦4.16 billion. Ellah Lakes followed with 144.9 million shares worth ₦1.82 billion, while Ja Paul Gold exchanged 138.74 million shares valued at ₦498.76 million.
Other notable movers included UBA, which transacted 73.03 million shares worth ₦3.15 billion, and AIICO Insurance, with 60.68 million shares valued at ₦135.71 million.
