The Nigerian stock market witnessed a significant surge in trading activity on Tuesday, 31 December 2025, as investors exchanged a massive volume of shares, propelling market capitalisation upwards by hundreds of billions of naira.
Record Trading Volume and Value
Market data revealed that a total of 4.68 billion shares valued at N38.86 billion changed hands in 34,852 deals. This represented a dramatic increase compared to the previous trading session on Monday, where 1.47 billion shares worth N35.5 billion were traded in 47,892 deals.
This translates to a staggering 219 per cent increase in trading volume and a nine per cent rise in the total value of traded shares. Interestingly, the number of deals executed fell by 27 per cent, suggesting larger block transactions dominated the session.
Cornerstone Insurance Dominates and Market Indices Rise
A single stock, Cornerstone Insurance, was the undisputed driver of the day's activity. It alone accounted for 3.67 billion shares worth N18.53 billion. This massive trade represented 78.36 per cent of the total volume and 47.69 per cent of the total value for the entire market.
The bullish momentum was reflected in the key market indices. The overall market capitalisation gained N411 billion, a rise of 0.42 per cent, to close at N98.843 trillion, up from N98.432 trillion recorded on Monday.
Similarly, the All-Share Index (ASI) appreciated by 645.19 points, also a 0.42 per cent gain, settling at 155,034.72 points compared to 154,389.53 points previously. Consequently, the year-to-date return advanced to 50.63 per cent.
Market Breadth and Top Performers
Market sentiment was decidedly positive, with a strong market breadth showing 47 gainers against 24 losers.
The top gainers for the session were:
- Julius Berger, Honeywell Flour, and Guinness Nigeria, which each recorded a 10 per cent price appreciation.
- Austinlaz, which rose by 9.94 per cent.
- Multiverse Mining, which gained 9.88 per cent.
On the declining side, the major losers included:
- Union Dicon Salt and Livingtrust Mortgage Bank, which both shed 10 per cent of their share value.
- First Holding Company, which fell by 9.94 per cent.
- Veritas Kapital Assurance and Mutual Benefits Assurance, which declined by 7.47 per cent and 7.46 per cent respectively.
The session's activity underscores robust investor interest as the year drew to a close, with significant capital flowing into the equities market and driving broad-based gains.
