Nigerian equities snap 11-day losing streak as FTSE Russell confirms Frontier Market reclassification

On Thursday, the Nigerian equities market rebounded, ending an 11-day consecutive losing streak, following the FTSE Russell's confirmation of Nigeria's reclassification from "Unclassified" to Frontier Market status. The NGX All-Share Index (ASI) rose 0.20%, closing at 239,156.09 points, up from 238,682.92 points, with a gain of 473.17 points during the session.

Market capitalization increased to N154.44 trillion from N154.14 trillion, adding approximately N305.56 billion to investor wealth, while the market's year-to-date return improved to 53.69%. The resurgence, though encouraging after more than a week of profit-taking, was primarily fueled by strength in banking stocks, rather than widespread buying, with market breadth remaining predominantly negative.

The FUGAZ banking stocks (First HoldCO, UBA, GTCO, Access HoldCo, and Zenith) were the primary drivers of the session's gains, as several large lenders closed sharply higher on the news. However, not all banks participated in the rally, with Wema Bank, Jaiz Bank, and FCMB experiencing declines. The insurance sector was mixed, with several companies suffering significant losses.

Sectoral performance varied, with the Banking Index leading all sectors, surging 1.58%. Market breadth remained weak, with 39 decliners outpacing 20 advancers, despite the headline index posting a gain. Overall trading volume fell 31.83% to 499.96 million shares, while deal count declined by 18.06% to 40,323 transactions. Although turnover value edged up 1.80% to N35.15 billion, the decrease in shares traded and increase in average transaction value suggest that buying interest was concentrated in higher-value stocks or larger transactions, rather than broad market participation.

This rebound follows an 11-session losing streak that erased over N5 trillion in market value since the market's record peak on August 10. Despite the weak market breadth indicating a fragile recovery, the market is expected to sustain its positive momentum as investor sentiment improves further due to the FTSE Russell's reclassification confirmation.