The Nigerian Exchange Limited delivered one of its strongest monthly performances in recent history, with the All Share Index climbing 16.60% in February 2026 to close at 192826.8 points, edging closer to the 200000 mark.
With the best performance since January 2024, the rally marks the third straight month of increases. With more than 36 billion shares traded thus far this year, market activity was lively, reflecting fresh investor interest in blue-chip and mid-cap equities.
Leading the charge were oil and gas stocks, which rose 33.63% during the month. While many mid-tier companies also produced excellent results, heavyweights Aradel and Seplat had significant gains. Supported mostly by cement titans Dangote Cement, BUA Cement, and Lafarge, Industrial Products followed with a 22.20 per cent increase.
As tier-one and tier-two lenders drew significant volumes, banking equities were also strongly in positive territory, up 16.67%. Consumer goods posted modest gains; insurance trailed other industries despite concluding the month a little higher.
The News Chronicle is aware that analysts are closely monitoring the 200,000 psychological threshold; sustained momentum in big-capitalised stocks could propel the index to fresh highs; however, some warn that the market may be due for a short-term correction following its long run.
The NGX’s roughly 24% year-to-date rise emphasises a widespread resurgence in investor confidence.
