Equity
NGX Surpasses 190,000 as Major Stocks Lead Market Rally
The Nigerian Exchange Group experienced a strong bullish surge on Tuesday, February 17, 2026, as the market gained over 7,900 points to close at 190,262.44, marking the first time the All-Share Index (ASI) surpassed the 190,000 threshold this year. Investors responded enthusiastically, driving a 4.36% daily increase, fueled by heavy trading in top-tier stocks. Notably, Aradel Holdings, Zenith Bank, Access Holdings, MTN Nigeria, and Dangote Cement led the advance, hitting the 10% daily gain ceiling.
Trading activity was robust, with 1.07 billion shares exchanged across 64,821 deals, reflecting strong market participation and investor confidence. The rally lifted market capitalization to N122.1 trillion, up from N117.02 trillion recorded at the previous close. Aradel Holdings led the trading value chart with N11.02 billion in transactions.
Read Also:
Market analysts attributed the rally to concentrated buying interest in select large-cap stocks. Aradel Holdings, Beta Glass, Oando, Ikeja Hotel, Zichis Agro-Allied Industries, and Jaiz Bank all hit their maximum daily increase limit of 10%, while stocks such as RT Briscoe and Deap Capital Management & Trust experienced profit-taking pressures, declining by 9.99% and 9.91% respectively.
In terms of trading volume, Access Holdings Plc led with 86.7 million shares traded, followed by Oando with 73.4 million, Zenith Bank Plc with 69.2 million, Mutual Benefits Assurance Plc with 67.1 million, and Japaul Gold and Ventures Plc with 49.1 million. By trading value, Aradel Holdings recorded the highest turnover at N11.02 billion, followed by MTN Nigeria Communications Plc at N7.5 billion, Zenith Bank Plc at N5.9 billion, Guaranty Trust Holding Company Plc at N5.5 billion, and Nestle Nigeria Plc at N3.9 billion.
Top gainers of the day included Aradel, which rose 10.00% to N1,096.70, Beta Glass up 10.00% to N453.20, Oando up 10.00% to N44.00, Ikeja Hotel up 10.00% to N41.80, Zichis up 10.00% to N11.88, and Jaiz Bank up 10.00% to N9.13. On the other hand, RT Briscoe declined by 9.99% to N15.68, Deap Capital Management & Trust fell 9.91% to N7.64, Caverton decreased 9.62% to N7.05, Guinea Insurance dropped 9.27% to N1.37, Tantalizer slipped 8.11% to N5.10, and Cileasing fell 7.69% to N7.20.
Among the SWOOTs, stocks valued above N1 trillion, performance was largely positive. Aradel Holdings Plc gained 10.00%, MTN Nigeria Communications Plc rose 9.99%, and Dangote Cement Plc advanced 9.95%. Other large-cap stocks including Lafarge Africa Plc, Nigerian Breweries Plc, and Fidelity Bank Plc added 5.04%, 3.21%, and 1.91% respectively, contributing further to market strength.
In the FUGAZ banking segment, gains were broad-based. Zenith Bank Plc climbed 9.95%, Access Holdings Plc rose 8.87%, Guaranty Trust Holding Company Plc increased 7.14%, while United Bank for Africa Plc and First Holdco Plc advanced 2.59% and 0.31% respectively.
The bullish momentum at the NGX signals growing investor confidence and positions the Nigerian equities market for continued performance in 2026, even as analysts advise caution given occasional overbought signals.
