The Nigerian Exchange Limited (NGX) trading concluded on a bullish note, with the All-Share Index (ASI) increasing by 0.25% to close at 99,189.95 basis points on Thursday.
The bullish momentum was driven by significant gains in Access Holdings and First Bank of Nigeria Holdings, which saw their share values rise by 10.0% and 3.2%, respectively.
As a result, the Month-to-Date and Year-to-Date returns improved to +0.6% and +32.7%. This uptick led to a 0.25% rise in market capitalization, reaching N60.1 trillion and adding N148.8 billion to investors’ portfolios.
Market sentiment remained positive, reflected in the market breadth, where 27 stocks gained compared to 17 losers. Access Holdings, Academy Press, UACN Property Development Company, Cornerstone Issuance, and Veritas Capital were among the top gainers. In contrast, notable losers included Royal Exchange, International Breweries, Livestock, Wapic Insurance, and Champion Breweries.
Sector performance was broadly positive, with the banking sector leading at 2.61%, followed by insurance (0.68%), oil and gas (0.04%), and industrial goods (0.03%). However, the consumer goods sector experienced a decline of 0.77%.
Trading activity surged, with deals, volume, and value increasing by 15.63%, 41.30%, and 89.56%, respectively. 400.91 million shares were traded across 9,211 deals, amounting to N15.72 billion. United Bank for Africa led the trading volume, with 58.4 million units worth N1.69 billion across 878 transactions.
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