The Nigerian Exchange Limited began the week on a positive note, with market capitalisation increasing by N247.21 billion on Monday. This surge was driven by renewed investor interest in insurance and banking stocks. At the close of trading, market capitalisation rose to N94 trillion, while the All‑Share Index appreciated by 0.26 per cent to 147,427.92 points. The gains extend the positive sentiment from the previous week, marking a 2.95 per cent week‑on‑week increase and a 43.24 per cent year‑to‑date rise.
Trading activity improved markedly, with 550.84 million shares exchanged in 30,065 deals, valued at N13.83 billion. Compared with the previous session on December 5, volume rose 52 per cent and the number of deals increased 43 per cent, although turnover fell 7 per cent. Market breadth closed positive, with 43 gainers outpacing 16 losers. Morison Industries led the advancers, rising 9.89 per cent to N3.89 per share, followed by NPF Microfinance Bank (+9.85 per cent) and Sovereign Trust Insurance (+9.31 per cent). Daar Communications topped the losers’ chart, slipping 7.14 per cent to N0.91 per share, with Livestock Feeds, Nigerian Aviation Handling Company, and Union Dicon Salt falling 6.25 per cent, 6.10 per cent and 4.76 per cent respectively.
FCMB Group led the volume chart with 129.65 million shares, followed by Japaul Gold, Zenith Bank and Fidelity Bank. On the value chart, Zenith Bank dominated with trades worth N2.71 billion, while MTN Nigeria, FCMB Group, Fidelity Bank and AccessCorp also posted strong turnover.
Sectoral performance was upbeat, with key indices posting gains: the Insurance Index rose 1.83 per cent and the Banking Index appreciated 0.94 per cent. This positive start reflects sustained investor confidence, particularly in financial services and insurance stocks, which continue to attract bargain hunters. As the year draws to a close, the market is expected to remain driven by portfolio positioning and improved sentiment across major counters.
The Nigerian Exchange’s strong close last week, driven by ICT and banking stocks that added N2.44 trillion to the market, sets the stage for continued growth. With the All‑Share Index gaining 2.45 per cent to 147,040.08 points and market capitalisation rising 2.67 per cent to N93.722 trillion, the outlook for the Nigerian Exchange Limited remains positive.
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