…As transactions hit N15.06tr in nine months

Domestic investors accounted for 89.74 per cent of transactions on the Nigerian Exchange Limited (NGX) in the first nine months of 2026, with trades valued at N13.5 trillion out of the total N15.06 trillion recorded on the Exchange.

According to the latest Nigerian Exchange Limited Domestic and Foreign Portfolio Investment Report for the month of September, foreign investors accounted for the remaining 10.26 per cent, with transactions valued at N1.54 trillion, underscoring the dominant role of local investors in the Nigerian capital market and their contribution to trading activities on the Exchange.

Besides, total transactions at the nation’s bourse increased by 43.06 per cent, from N1.27 trillion in August 2026 to N1.82 trillion in September 2026.

Compared with the N1.6215 trillion recorded in September 2025, total transactions in the review month increased by 12.01 per cent, reflecting a rise in the value of shares traded on the Exchange.

A breakdown of the monthly performance showed that domestic transactions increased by 34.6 per cent, from N1.21 trillion in August 2026 to N1.62 trillion in September 2026. The increase strengthened the contribution of local investors to the market’s overall performance during the month.

Foreign transactions also recorded a significant increase, rising by 208.14 per cent from N62.03 billion in August 2026 to N191.14 billion in September 2026.

Although foreign transactions recorded a faster percentage increase than domestic transactions, their total value remained substantially lower than that of local investors.

The September figures showed that domestic investors continued to account for the larger share of transactions on the Exchange, even as foreign participation increased during the period.

The difference between the two categories highlights the importance of domestic capital in supporting trading activity in the Nigerian stock market.

The report further showed that institutional investors outperformed retail investors by 24 per cent in September 2026. The performance points to the significant contribution of institutional participants to domestic transactions during the month, although the report figures supplied do not provide the individual transaction values for both investor groups.

A review of trading activities over the 19-year period from 2007 to 2025 showed that domestic transactions increased by 160.83 per cent, from N3.55 trillion in 2007 to N9.27 trillion in 2025. This represents an increase of N5.71 trillion over the period, based on the figures reported by the Exchange.

Foreign transactions also grew over the same period, increasing by 329.87 per cent from N615.6 billion in 2007 to N2.6475 trillion in 2025.

In absolute terms, this represented an increase of N2.03.trillion, showing that foreign participation also expanded over the period, although its share of total transactions remained below that of domestic investors.

The report showed that domestic investors accounted for about 78 per cent of total transactions in 2025, while foreign investors contributed the remaining 22 per cent. The figures indicate that local investors remained the main participants in the market in that year, a trend that continued into the first nine months of 2026, when domestic transactions accounted for 89.74 per cent of total market activity.

The September report also showed that the combined value of domestic and foreign transactions rose from approximately N1.26 trillion in August to N1.81 trillion in September. Domestic transactions contributed the larger portion of the September total, while the increase in foreign transactions added to the overall growth recorded during the month.