Investors at the Nigerian stock market started the year on a high note, with stock gaining an impressive N1.13 trillion in market capitalisation during the second week of trading in 2025.
The benchmark Nigerian Exchange Limited All-Share Index (NGX ASI) surged by 1.8per cent, or 1,864.73 basis points, closing at 105,451.06 basis points up from 103,586.33 basis points at the week's start.
This bullish performance pushed market capitalization to N64.30 trillion, a growth of N1.13 trillion from N63.17 trillion, driven by positive sentiment and bargain-hunting in key stocks such as MTN Nigeria (+21per cent), Transcorp (+18.3 per cent), and Transcorp Hotels (+9.8 per cent).
Investors responded positively to signals of a potential tariff hike in the telecommunications sector, while other sectors also recorded significant gains.
Year-to-date returns for the market now stand at +2.5per cent, reflecting renewed confidence in domestic equities. Trading activity surged, with weekly trading volume jumping by 80.8% to 4.698 billion shares, while trading value climbed 22.4per cent to N85.043 billion across 72,562 deals.
The financial services sector dominated trading, contributing 73.86per cent of total equity turnover volume and 47.97per cent of total value, with 3.47 billion shares worth N40.791 billion exchanged in 34,364 deals. The services and ICT industries followed, recording turnovers of 407.03 million shares and 237.68 million shares, respectively.
Top equities by volume - Wema Bank, FBN Holdings, and Universal Insurance - accounted for 1.679 billion shares worth N20.838 billion, representing 35.74per cent of total equity volume and 24.50per cent of total value.
However, sectoral indices showed mixed performance. Gains were recorded across most indices, except for declines in NGX Insurance (-6.91per cent), NGX Consumer Goods (-0.34 per cent), and NGX Industrial Goods (-0.26 per cent).
Analysts at Cordros Capital said it remain optimistic, forecasting sustained momentum in the weeks ahead, driven by pre-earnings positioning, sector-specific developments, and potential policy announcements.
"The strong start to the year underscores investor confidence in Nigeria's equities market, as macroeconomic and sectoral fundamentals continue to attract strategic inflows," Cordros Capital added.