The Nigerian stock market wrapped up September on a positive note, as the All-Share Index (ASI) gained 1.72% to close the month and the third quarter in the green.

Tracked by the All-Share Index, the market opened September at 140,295.5 points and supported by a trading volume of 13.6 billion shares, closed at 142,710.5 points on September 30.

Despite starting the month slowly, with a 0.94% decline in the first week, the index quickly regained momentum.

The remaining weeks stayed positive, with the second week standing out as the strongest in September.

On a quarterly basis, the market delivered a strong showing.

For the quarter, July was the standout month, posting a 16.57% gain, not only the best of the quarter but also the highest monthly return of the year.

On a year-to-date basis, the third-quarter surge has helped lift the All-Share Index well above the gains seen in the first two quarters.

A closer look at sectoral performance in the third quarter reveals even more about where the market’s strength truly lies.

The NGX Insurance Index topped the third quarter, rising 57.65% quarter-to-date and recording a trading volume of 18.7 billion shares.

Although September closed in the red with a 7.21% decline, the strong gains from August (44.30%) kept the sector afloat.

Quarterly performance was driven by standout rallies in individual stocks, including Regency Alliance Insurance (+150%), Sovereign Trust Insurance (+123.88%), AIICO Insurance (+121.52%), and Veritas Kapital Assurance (+100%).

Other notable performers with gains between 50% and 100% included Universal Insurance, Guinea Insurance, Prestige Assurance, AXA Mansard, and NEM Insurance.

Stocks with under 50% gains included Cornerstone Insurance, Consolidated Hallmark, and Sunu Assurance.

Year-to-date, the NGX Insurance Index is up 65.88%.

The NGX Industrial Goods sector posted a robust 39.32% gain quarter-to-date, tracked by the NGX Industrial Index, with 1.1 billion shares traded.

Most of the gains came in July, which saw the sector rise 34.28%, while September contributed a modest 1.89% increase.

Top quarterly gainers included Tripple GEE (+148.89%), BUA Cement (+67.71%), and Meyer (+66.67%).

Other stocks posting 30–50% gains were Lafarge, Beta Glass, Austin Laz, and Chemical & Allied Products.

Dangote Cement and Cutix were the under-20% performers.

Year-to-date, the NGX Industrial Index has risen 41.89%.

The NGX Consumer Goods Index rose 27.89% quarter-to-date, exchanging 2.7 billion shares.

July was the sector’s strongest month in Q3 at 11.14%, with September closing at 5.65%.

Leading the rally were Guinness Nigeria (+108.98%), McNichols (+56.52%), and Cadbury Nigeria (+51.81%).

Other stocks gaining between 20% and 50% included Unilever Nigeria, Champion Breweries, BUA Foods, NASCON Allied Industries, Nestlé Nigeria, Dangote Sugar, and Nigerian Breweries.

Modest gains came from Vitafoam Nigeria (+7.84%) and Honeywell Flour Mills (+2.33%).

Year-to-date, the Consumer Goods Index is up 94.66%.

The NGX Banking Index posted an 18.25% gain in Q3, with 16.3 billion shares traded.

Despite a decline in September (-0.95%), strong early gains in July (25.78%) drove the sector’s quarterly performance.

Over 20% performers were Stanbic (+28.24%), UBA (+22.12%), Zenith Bank (+21.16%), and First HoldCo (+21.15%).

Other notable contributors included FCMB (+17.30%), Ecobank (+16.50%), Access Holdings (+16.06%), GTCO (+15.57%), Wema Bank (+13.71%), and Fidelity (+5.00%).

Year-to-date, the NGX Banking Index is up 39.61%.

The NGX Oil & Gas Index rose 3.51% quarter-to-date, with 536 million shares traded.

The sector rebounded in September with a 5.94% gain, offsetting a 3.95% decline in August.

Aradel was the standout gainer, up 19.53%.

Year-to-date, the Oil & Gas Index remains down 6.97%.