The Nigerian bourse staged a notable recovery on Tuesday, December 2, 2025, reversing previous losses as investor optimism returned to key sectors. The NGX All Share Index (ASI) climbed 1.20% to close at 144,928.36 points, while market capitalization rose 1.41% to N92.38 trillion, reflecting renewed confidence in blue-chip stocks.
Year-to-Date Returns Strengthen
The market’s rebound boosted the year-to-date (YTD) return to 40.81%, up from 39.14% recorded earlier in the week. Analysts attributed the improved sentiment to buying interest in high-performing stocks such as Dangote Cement, NCR, and International Breweries, which offset losses in other counters including Ikeja Hotels, LEGENTINT, and Living Trust.
Mixed Market Activity
Market activity, however, remained mixed. While transaction volume fell sharply by 58.65% to 606.25 million shares, trading value surged by 112.64% to N39.69 billion, indicating that investors concentrated on a few high-value stocks rather than broad-based trading.
ACCESSCORP led trading volumes with 310.25 million shares, while SEPLAT dominated in value, accounting for N22.48 billion of the day’s transactions.
Top Gainers and Losers
Among the top gainers:
- Dangote Cement (DANGCEM) surged 9.99% to N588.00
- NCR rose 9.98% to N66.10
- International Breweries (INTBREW) gained 9.66% to N11.35
- Livestock Feeds (LIVESTOCK) advanced 8.33% to N6.50
- DAAR Communications (DAARCOMM) climbed 8.14% to N0.93
Leading the laggards:
- Ikeja Hotels (IKEJAHOTEL) declined 9.92% to N28.60
- Legend (LEGENDINT) dropped 9.91% to N5.00
- LivingTrust (LIVINGTRUST) shed 9.78% to N3.23
- WAPIC fell 6.72% to N2.36
- FTN Cocoa (FTNCOCOA) lost 5.10% to N4.65
Sector Performance
The Industrial Goods sector led the day’s sectoral performance with a 4.30% gain, largely driven by Dangote Cement’s rally. Consumer Goods rose 1.08%, Banking edged up 0.19%, Insurance gained 0.16%, and Oil & Gas recorded a modest 0.02% increase.
Trading Highlights
ACCESSCORP remained the most active stock, with 310 million shares traded, followed by Zenith Bank (40.33 million shares) and Fidelity Bank (38.17 million shares). FCMB and GTCO rounded out the top five most traded equities with 21.14 million and 20.81 million shares, respectively.
In terms of value, ACCESSCORP led with N6.42 billion, followed by Zenith Bank (N2.42 billion) and GTCO (N1.80 billion). Aradel and MTNN completed the top five with trade values of N632.44 million and N664.35 million.
Market Outlook
The rebound reflects improving investor sentiment, particularly in high-cap stocks, as the year draws to a close. While positive performances across Industrial Goods, Consumer Goods, and Banking sectors suggest selective accumulation, the sharp drop in traded volume signals lingering caution among investors.
Market analysts noted that the combination of thin liquidity and heavy value inflows indicates strategic positioning, with investors targeting large-ticket stocks rather than engaging in broad-based risk-taking.