The Nigerian Trade Restricted (NGX) recorded a big shift in international funding exercise within the first quarter of 2026, Q1’26, as international inflows surged by 78 per cent to N393.68 billion, up from N221.62 billion within the corresponding interval of 2025. The rise indicators renewed investor curiosity available in the market.
Nonetheless, the rise in inflows was matched by elevated capital exit, with international outflows climbing by 31.2 per cent to N420.37 billion 12 months-to-Date (YtD), in contrast with N320.37 billion in 2025. This means that whereas extra international funds entered the market, a sizeable portion was additionally withdrawn, reflecting cautious investor sentiment.
In accordance with the NGX Home and Overseas Portfolio Participation in Fairness Report launched yesterday, on a month-to-month foundation, complete transactions on the Trade grew by 13.10% to N1.744 trillion (about $1.26 billion) in March from N1.5424 trillion (about $1.13 billion) in February.
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In the meantime, regardless of the uptick in international transactions, home traders continued to dominate market exercise. In March 2026, the worth of transactions by home traders exceeded international transactions by about 66 per cent, reaffirming their pivotal position available in the market.
A breakdown of Month-on-Month, MoM efficiency reveals contrasting tendencies between home and international traders. Home transactions rose modestly by 3.72 per cent, from N1.4033 trillion in February to N1.4556 trillion in March. In distinction, international transactions recorded a pointy improve of 107.74 per cent, rising from N139.03 billion (about $101.97 million) to N288.82 billion (about $208.28 million).
Inside the home phase, institutional traders maintained dominance over retail traders. In March 2026, institutional exercise exceeded retail transactions by 26 per cent. Retail transactions dipped barely by 1.30 per cent to N541.37 billion from N548.50 billion in February, whereas institutional transactions grew by 6.95 per cent to N914.23 billion from N854.83 billion.