By Onu Okorie

Nigerian Exchange (NGX) equities market rebounded in Wednesday’s trading session, September 30, 2026, with the benchmark All-Share Index rising 0.19 per cent to 252,398.78 points as investors resumed buying after the previous session’s sell-off.

The market had lost about ₦468.6 billion in equity value on Tuesday as profit-taking dragged the All-Share Index down by 0.29 per cent.

At about 2:30pm on Wednesday, market capitalisation had risen by approximately ₦345 billion to ₦163.88 trillion, while 631.88 million shares had changed hands in 29,953 deals, with turnover standing at about ₦17.89 billion.

Market breadth was positive, with 22 stocks advancing against 18 decliners, while six equities remained unchanged.

Consolidated Hallmark Insurance (CMFC) led the gainers, rising 9.92 per cent to ₦4.32, followed by LivingTrust Mortgage Bank, which gained 9.79 per cent to ₦3.14, and ABC Transport, up 9.76 per cent to ₦6.75.

On the losing side, FTG Insurance declined 6.42 per cent to ₦1.75, while Sovereign Trust Insurance fell 5.93 per cent to ₦2.22. Guinea Insurance also declined four per cent to ₦0.75.

VFD Group emerged as the most actively traded stock by volume, accounting for about 341.79 million shares in the session as at 2:30pm.

Abbey Mortgage Bank and Chams followed on the volume table, while VFD Group also led trading by value, ahead of GTCO and Zenith Bank.

The renewed buying interest came a day after investors reduced exposure to several heavyweight banking, industrial and consumer stocks.

Tuesday’s session had recorded 548.67 million shares worth ₦34.30 billion across 47,301 deals, with GTCO alone accounting for ₦11.73 billion of turnover following publication of its half-year results.

GTCO’s H1 2026 results showed gross earnings of ₦1.107 trillion and profit before tax of ₦603.03 billion, while profit after tax declined to ₦414.19 billion from ₦449.01 billion in the corresponding period of 2025.

Market closes September amid strong nine-month expansion. Wednesday’s recovery came as the equities market rounded off the third quarter and first nine months of 2026, with the market having expanded substantially from its end-2025 position. The immediate session, however, remained characterised by selective buying rather than a broad-based surge, with investors concentrating activity on specific equities.