The Nigerian equities market recorded a N7.895 trillion surge in stock deals over five months, driven by increased interest from both foreign and domestic investors.
The figures are contained in the latest Domestic & Foreign Portfolio Investment Report released by NGX Regulation Limited, covering equities transactions as of May 31, 2026.
The latest data also showed a sharp year-on-year increase in market activity, with total transactions surging by 131.19 per cent to N3.415 trillion in May 2025, highlighting stronger investor participation and sustained confidence in Nigerian equities.
Domestic investors continued to dominate trading activity on the NGX, even as foreign participation remained significantly higher than levels recorded a year earlier.
Further breakdown of the report indicated that domestic transactions increased by 186.03 per cent to N6.922 trillion in May 2026 as against N2.42 trillion achieved in May 2025. The improved performance was largely attributed to rising retail participation and sustained institutional positioning in equities.
Meanwhile, foreign portfolio transactions recorded N973.38 billion in May 2026, down from N996.03 billion in May 2025.
A closer look at the May figures revealed total transactions at the nation’s bourse increased by 7.79 per cent from N1.803 trillion in April 2026 to N1.943 trillion in May 2026. The current month’s performance, compared with May 2025, showed that total transactions increased by 177.42 per cent.
In May 2026, the total value of transactions executed by domestic investors outperformed that of foreign investors by circa 82 per cent.
A further analysis revealed that total domestic transactions increased by 13.15 per cent from N1.555 trillion in April 2026 to N1.76 trillion in May 2026. However, total foreign transactions decreased by 25.90 per cent from N247.78 billion to N183.61 billion between April 2026 and May 2026.
Also, the report showed that institutional investors outperformed retail investors by 18 per cent, while retail transactions increased by 6.22 per cent, from N683.74 billion in April 2026 to N726.27 billion in May 2026. However, the institutional composition of the domestic market increased by 18.59 per cent from N871.38 billion in April 2026 to N1.033 trillion in May 2026.
The Nigerian stock market experienced an extraordinary bull run in the first five months of 2026, with the All-Share Index (ASI) surging by 60.9 per cent and market capitalisation adding over N60 trillion, surpassing N160 trillion.
Speaking on market performance, Group Managing Director of Nigerian Exchange Group (NGX Group) Plc, Temi Popoola, said the market’s performance reflected growing confidence in Nigeria’s capital market and economy.
According to him, Nigeria’s ongoing reforms are strengthening domestic capital formation, and the market is responding positively.
The managing director of APT Securities Limited, Mallam Kasimu Garba, said the performance of listed companies in the first quarter of 2026 played a critical role in the stock market’s growth over the first five months of this year.
According to him, the dividend declared in the 2025 financial year by major quoted companies attracted significant inflows from new investors and foreign portfolio investors.
