NGX Investors Lose ₦781bn as 45 Stocks Drag Market Into Third Consecutive Decline

|By Adejumo Adekunle

The Nigerian Exchange Limited (NGX) suffered another blow on Thursday as investors lost ₦781 billion, extending the market’s bearish run to the third straight session this week.

The downturn was triggered by losses in 45 stocks, led by International Energy Insurance, Thomas Wyatt Nigeria, Veritas Kapital Assurance, BUA Cement, and University Press. Their dip pushed the market capitalisation down by 0.87 percent to close at ₦88.783 trillion, compared to ₦89.564 trillion recorded the previous day.

Similarly, the All-Share Index (ASI) fell by 1,233.87 points, or 0.87 percent, closing at 140,332.44 from Wednesday’s 141,566.31. Market breadth remained negative, with 45 losers outweighing 17 gainers.

Top laggards included University Press, Thomas Wyatt, International Energy Insurance, Veritas Kapital, and BUA Cement. On the flip side, Skye Shelter Fund, Jaiz Bank, Secure Electronic Technology, Omatek, and CHAMS led the gainers’ chart.

Trading activity also weakened, as investors exchanged 573.75 million shares worth ₦12.88 billion in 25,881 deals—lower than Wednesday’s 721.82 million shares valued at ₦12.94 billion across 28,745 deals.

Despite the recent losses, the NGX recorded an impressive surge in July 2025. Transactions jumped by 133.09 percent to ₦1.8 trillion, up from ₦778.6 billion in June, while equity deals climbed to a record ₦6 trillion—double the ₦3 trillion posted in the whole of 2024.