NGX All-Share Index declined by 1.12%, Naira appreciates to ₦1,360.07/$

The Nigerian equities market closed on a bearish note, as profit-taking in Consumer Goods stocks weighed on sentiment. The benchmark All-Share Index (ASI) declined by 1.12%, bringing its year-to-date (YTD) return to 56.78%.

Market activity also weakened during the session, with total trading volume declining by 62.78% to 1.45 billion shares, while the total value of transactions fell by 35.30% to ₦20.97 billion.

Despite the negative headline performance, market breadth remained marginally positive, with 26 gainers against 22 losers, while 9 stocks closed unchanged.

The Insurance Index emerged as the best-performing index, advancing by 0.71%, while the Consumer Goods Index led the laggards, declining by 4.93%. FTGINSURE dominated trading by volume, accounting for 853.16 million shares exchanged, while FIRSTHOLDCO led trading by value, with transactions worth ₦3.90 billion.

On the gainers’ chart, INTENEGINS and ETI recorded the strongest price appreciation, while BUAFOODS and UNILEVER posted the steepest declines during the session.

Banking system liquidity tightened slightly, closing at ₦6.47 trillion net. However, Overnight rate saw a marginal increase remained flat, closing at 22.10%, while NOFR and Open Repo rate remained unchanged at 22.00%.

Profit taking persisted in the FGN bond market, sell pressure swept through the belly of the curve. The mild bearish performance was supported by the muted activity seen at the short and long ends of the curve.

Overall, average yield jumped marginally by 2bps, closing at 16.90% from 16.88%.
Meanwhile, broad based positive sentiment resumed in the Nigerian Treasury Bills market. However, the gains remained mild pushing average yield  slightly lower, closing at 18.13% from 18.14%.

Elsewhere, Nigeria Eurobond market saw improved performance as buying interest resumed. Interestingly, sell pressure resumed at the short end of the curve after a brief pause in the previous session. That said, average yield decreased slightly to close at 6.91% from 6.92%.

Today, the Naira appreciated against the U.S. dollar, with the USD/NGN exchange rate declining by 0.32% to close at ₦1,360.07/$.

Meanwhile, Nigeria’s external reserves increased marginally by 0.01% to $51.95 billion as of 4 August 2026, reflecting a slight improvement in the country’s foreign exchange buffer.

In the commodities market, Brent crude oil rose marginally by 0.07% to settle at $88.89 per barrel, supported by persistent concerns over supply disruptions amid ongoing geopolitical tensions in the Middle East and uncertainty surrounding U.S.-Iran ceasefire talks.