The Nigerian Exchange (NGX) closed the final trading session of August on a bullish note, with strong buying interest in banking, insurance, consumer goods and telecom stocks.
The market recorded 1,678 trades, with approximately 465 million shares worth ₦35.8 billion changing hands.
Banks Drive Market Gains
Banking stocks were among the biggest drivers of the session. Access Holdings jumped 8.81% to ₦32.10, emerging as the most actively traded stock with 126.5 million shares worth ₦3.95 billion.
Other major banking gains came from ETI (+8.98%), FCMB (+5.88%), Zenith Bank (+5.29%), UBA (+3.16%) and GTCO (+3.10%).
Top Gainers
Omatek Ventures led the gainers, rising 10% to ₦1.65, followed by Ikeja Hotel (+9.95%), Sovereign Trust Insurance (+9.94%), SUNU Assurances (+9.86%) and Royal Exchange (+9.09%).
In the consumer goods space, Nigerian Breweries gained 8.07% to ₦75, while PZ Cussons rose 7.86% to ₦81. Champion Breweries and International Breweries also advanced by 5.53% and 5.95%, respectively.
MTN Nigeria Gains 4.26%
MTN Nigeria climbed 4.26% to ₦807, with 7.3 million shares traded, adding further strength to the day's large-cap performance.
Among industrial stocks, Dangote Cement remained unchanged at ₦1,034, while BUA Cement declined 2.22% to ₦309.
In oil and gas, Aradel Holdings gained 3.06% to ₦1,415, while Oando advanced 2.72% to ₦34.
Biggest Decliners
Abbey Bank was the worst-performing stock, falling 9.41% to ₦7.70. AVA Capital (-7.69%), FTN Cocoa (-6.25%), Tantalizers (-4.98%) and Consolidated Hallmark Holdings (-4.60%) also recorded notable losses.
What Investors Are Watching
The strong banking rally leaves investors watching whether the momentum will continue into September, alongside new-month portfolio rebalancing and fresh corporate announcements.
Overall sentiment: Bullish. The broad gains across banking, telecoms, insurance and consumer stocks gave the NGX a strong finish to August.
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