Nigerian Breweries drove a strong market rally on May 12, 2026 as investors aggressively bought shares.
The Nigerian Exchange extended its gains as confidence spread across major listed stocks.
Nigerian Breweries Leads Market Momentum
By the close of trading, optimism pushed the market to a fresh record level.
The All-Share Index climbed by 1,926.1 points, or 0.77%, to 252,411.7.
This marked an increase from 250,485.6 in the previous session.
Market capitalisation also rose to ₦161.6 trillion, up from ₦160.2 trillion earlier.
Meanwhile, trading activity strengthened across the market.
Investors exchanged 2.02 billion shares in 80,888 deals during the session.
CWG led market activity by volume after traders exchanged 432.8 million shares.
Similarly, UBA dominated value trading with ₦16.7 billion in transactions.
In addition, investors actively traded C&I Leasing, Access Holdings, and Fidelity Bank.
Strong Volumes Drive Market Rally
Overall, market sentiment stayed positive throughout the session.
Consequently, year-to-date return rose to 62.20%, up from 60.97% previously.
Buying interest focused on mid- and small-cap stocks.
As a result, University Press, UHOMREIT, and Ikeja Hotel gained the maximum 10%.
Likewise, Zichis and FTN Cocoa recorded strong gains near the daily limit.
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However, some investors took profits in selected stocks.
For instance, Fortis Global Insurance fell 9.65% and led the laggards.
Similarly, Custodian Investment dropped 9.52% under selling pressure.
Additionally, NPF Microfinance Bank, AIICO Insurance, and Honeywell also declined.
Mixed Performance Across Heavyweight Stocks
In the heavyweight segment, Nigerian Breweries gained 9.94% as investors accumulated positions.
Furthermore, Aradel, Wema Bank, and MTN also posted modest advances.
In contrast, Lafarge Africa slipped slightly during the session.
Within banking stocks, sentiment stayed broadly positive across the FUGAZ group.
Access Holdings led gains with a 6.22% rise.
First HoldCo, UBA, and Zenith Bank also closed higher.
However, GTCO slipped 0.69%, breaking the sector’s positive trend.
Finally, the All-Share Index closed at its highest level ever recorded.
Overall, strong volumes and broad participation sustained the market rally.