The Nigerian stock market ended Thursday, March 5, 2026, slightly higher, rising 0.18 percent to 196,807.2 points, with the All-Share Index up 343.9 points from the previous day. Trading was slower, with 634 million shares changing hands compared to 805.2 million the day before, while Jaiz Bank recorded the most activity by volume.
Okay News reports that the total market capitalisation of all listed companies on the Nigerian Exchange now stands at N126.3 trillion (approximately $80.7 billion), reflecting the overall size of the market. GTCO had the highest value traded for the day, with N5.4 billion worth of shares exchanging hands, even though overall trading activity was weaker.
Buying interest supported select stocks, lifting Eterna and NPF Microfinance Bank by 10 percent each during the session. On the other hand, profit-taking weighed on Triple Gee and Multiverse, which declined 9.94 percent and 9.91 percent respectively. In terms of trading volume, Jaiz Bank led with 137.3 million shares exchanged, followed by GTCO at 45.4 million and Access Holdings at 29.7 million shares.
Among SWOOTs, stocks valued above N1 trillion, performance was mixed with Stanbic up 5.56 percent, MTN Nigeria up 0.63 percent, and Dangote Cement up 0.01 percent, while Wema Bank fell 2.7 percent and Fidelity Bank dipped 1 percent. Slow price action and lower volumes indicate cautious trading as investors weigh their next move toward the 200,000 threshold. This stock market rise reflects selective buying interest amid an overbought technical position that may see shallow retracement in upcoming sessions.
