Nigerian Exchange Group Breaks 244,000 Mark as Five Stocks Hit Gain Limits
Pecohub The Nigerian Exchange closed Friday, 8 May 2026 in the green, advancing 4,936.03 points to settle at 244,670.65, reflecting broad-based positive sentiment across listed equities.
Tracked by the All-Share Index, the market posted a 2.1% gain from the prior close of 239,734.62, supported by sustained trading momentum and volume reaching 1.06 billion units.
This performance fed into broader market value, as capitalization rose to N157.02 trillion from N153.85 trillion, with transactions standing at 69,996 deals across active counters.
Five stocks—Dangote Cement, MeCure, Cadbury, Neimeth, and LivingTrust Mortgage—hit the NGX’s 10.00% daily price gain limits.
What the data is saying
Trading sentiment turned positive on 8 May 2026, with the year-to-date return rising to 57.3%, reflecting sustained bullish momentum in the broader market.
- On the gainers’ chart, Neimeth, Cadbury, LivingTrust Mortgage, Mecure, and Dangote Cement each advanced by 10%, jointly leading the day’s strongest performers.
- In contrast, bearish pressure emerged across select counters, with UACN and Industrial & Medical Gases topping the decliners’ chart after shedding 10.00% apiece.
In terms of trading activity, Access Holdings led volumes with 104.4 million shares, followed by VFD Group at 103 million and FCMB at 99.7 million units exchanged.
- UBA recorded 96.1 million shares traded, while Veritas Kapital posted 53.4 million units,
On the value chart, MTN Nigeria led with N7.3 billion in transactions, followed by Zenith Bank at N6.5 billion and Dangote Cement at N5.9 billion, while Transcorp Power and Aradel posted N4.9 billion and N4.3 billion respectively.
Top 5 Gainers
- Cadbury — up 10.00% to N72.60
- Neimeth — up 10.00% to N9.90
- LivingTrust Mortgage — up 10.00% to N3.52
- Dangote Cement — up 10.00% to N1,088.00
- MeCure — up 10.00% to N72.60
Top 5 Losers
- Industrial & Medical Gases — down 10.00% to N42.30
- UACN — down 10.00% to N171.00
- Eterna — down 9.93% to N33.55
- Learn Africa — down 9.89% to N8.20
- Deap Capital — down 9.69% to N5.50
SWOOTs Performance
Among stocks worth over one trillion naira (SWOOTs), sentiment was broadly positive, led by Dangote Cement up 10%, Ecobank up 9.11%, and BUA Cement up 6.71%.
- Wema Bank gained 3.13%, while International Breweries and Nigerian Breweries rose 2.36% and 2.10% respectively.
On the downside, Dangote Sugar declined 2.41%, while MTN Nigeria slipped 1.71%.
FUGAZ Performance
Within the FUGAZ banking group, trading remained largely upbeat as First HoldCo led gains with a 9.98% rise, followed by GTCO up 3.60%, Zenith Bank up 0.80%, and Access Holdings up 0.64%, while UBA closed flat.
The index point of 244,670.65 marks the highest level ever attained by the Nigerian Equities market, setting a new historical benchmark for the bourse.
Bullish momentum in large-cap stocks largely powered the rally, with coordinated buying interest driving broad gains across key counters.
Having broken the 242,000-resistance zone set on 6 May 2026, the market may extend further beyond 245,000 if large-cap strength persists.
