The Nigerian equities market closed lower on Tuesday, as the All-Share Index dropped 0.16% to 250,273.50 points, pressured by a selloff in banking stocks. The NGX Banking Index emerged as the day’s worst-performing sector, falling 1.25%, with First HoldCo leading the decline at 5.09%. Other notable banking losses included Ecobank Transnational Incorporated (ETI) and Stanbic IBTC. Trading activity cooled significantly, with transaction volume dropping over 33% to 579.17 million shares. Despite the broader market dip, PZ Cussons and Eterna recorded gains, while Aradel Holdings led in value traded. Year-to-date, the NGX-ASI remains up 60.83%, with the oil and gas sector continuing to outperform as the primary market driver.