The outgone 2025 was an exciting year for investors who placed bets on Nigerian assets. Improved economic outlook spurred growth across Nigerian stocks, fixed income instruments and other asset classes. In this piece, we shall explain why you should place bets on four Nigerian assets as the world moves into 2026.

Stocks

The Nigerian stocks have proved to be among the best globally. The 2025 was a bumper year for those who dared to invest in stocks, with returns hitting a high of 51.19 percent as against 37.65 percent in 2024. 

The stock of NCR surged by 1,354 percent between January and December 2025, with Beta Glass returning 470.11 percent to investors. Mutual Benefits gained 421.31 percent over the period, while Champion Breweries posted a 344.88 percent return. Ellah Lakes returned 341.46 percent, Eunisell gained 315.15 percent, while Guinness posted a 312.38 percent return. Vitafoam also enjoyed an outsized gain, returning 311.30 percent.

Analysts say the momentum will continue in 2026, with economic stability and policy certainty driving portfolio investments into Africa’s most populous nation.

Chief Executive Officer of Financial Derivatives, Mr Bismark Rewane, predicted an expanding capital market in 2026, noting that the Nigerian Exchange’s total market capitalisation could jump to N262 trillion this year, up sharply from the current N90 trillion, representing a 191 percent increase.

According to him, the market would represent 72 percent of Nigeria’s projected gross domestic product (GDP), placing it among the fastest-expanding markets in the emerging economies.

He forsees listings of mega corporates, including the Dangote Refinery and the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC), alongside accelerations of profitability across sectors such as telecoms, cement, consumer goods and banking.

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According to him, investor sentiment was already shifting due to improving foreign exchange stability, sustained disinflation and stronger earnings guidance from top-tier companies.

He noted that Nigeria’s equity market was entering a new cycle powered by corporate expansion, regulatory reforms and the return of long-delayed market-moving listings, noting that slowing inflation in 2026 could be one of the most important pivot points for Nigeria’s recovery.

Mutual funds

Mutual funds turned paupers into millionaires in 2025. Some of the mutual funds that became powerful assets in the hands of investors were Halo Equity, Stanbic IBTC Imaan Fund, Guaranty Trust Equity Income Fund, Zrosk Magna Equity Fund, Paramount Equity Fund, among others. Some of these funds like Halo Equity returned over 100 percent to investors this year, and analysts say the trend will likely continue in 2026, especially for mutual equity funds, which invest mostly in the equities market.

Mutual funds enable investors to diversify their portfolios and are mostly low-risk.

Fixed income market

Fixed income is a type of investment that provides the investor with a guaranteed return in interest or dividends in return for a lump-sum deposit, says Investopedia, the business dictionary.

Fixed income is a category of investments that pay regular interest or dividend payments over a set period of time. When that period expires, the investor gets back the original amount invested.

“Government and corporate bonds are the most common types of fixed-income products. These are essentially loans, which the borrower repays with interest. Preferred stock shares, which are a kind of hybrid of a stock and a bond, are fixed-income investments that pay guaranteed dividends,” says Investopedia.

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In Nigeria, fixed income instruments include: government bonds, treasury bills (T-bills), corporate bonds , and money market instruments. In 2024 and 2025, fixed income instruments attracted high returns ranging from 12 percent to up to 20 percent due to high interest rates. However, with inflation trending downwards now, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) will likely begin cutting the interest rate in 2026, which will reduce returns on fixed income instruments. Usually, when the interest rate falls, returns on fixed income instruments decline. However, the advantage of several fixed income instruments, especially government bonds, is that you are guaranteed your returns and principal.

Cordros Capital projects that in its 2026, yields on short- and mid-term instruments will decline more sharply, while longer-dated yields are likely to fall more slowly due to the larger supply of long-term government bonds the market needs to absorb.

Real estate

If you have money, buy any form of real estate in Nigeria this year, particularly in prime locatiions. With the demand for land and housing outstripping supply, any real estate will likely return over 100 percent in 2 years – depending on its location. Experts say investors who do not have money to buy pieces of land or houses can invest in real estate investment trusts (REITs) such as Union Homes REIT, SFS REIT, and UPDC REIT. The 3 REITS in the NGX, they say, have the capacity to make big returns in 2026 as housing deficit and infrastrutural challenges persist this year.