The Nigerian Exchange Limited (NGX) closed Thursday’s trading session on a positive note, buoyed by strong performances in consumer goods and banking stocks, as investor activity picked up significantly.
Investors traded a total of 1,025,534,120 shares in 51,194 deals, with a market turnover of N31.36bn. This represented a 36 per cent increase in trading volume and a six per cent rise in turnover compared with Wednesday’s session, although the number of deals declined by eight per cent.
Market capitalisation closed at N106.3tn, underscoring sustained investor confidence despite mixed performances across sectors. A total of 132 equities were traded during the session, with 36 stocks recording gains and 41 ending in negative territory.
Nestlé Nigeria led the gainers’ chart, appreciating by 10 per cent to close at N2,153.80 per share. NCR Nigeria followed closely with a 9.97 per cent increase to N116.90, while Jaiz Bank gained 9.92 per cent to close at N8.20. Morison Industries also posted strong performance, rising by 9.90 per cent to N5.66.
On the losers’ side, McNichols recorded the steepest decline, shedding 9.99 per cent to close at N6.58 per share. Caverton Offshore Support Group dropped by 9.47 per cent to N7.65, Ikeja Hotel fell 9.43 per cent to N35.05, while FTN Cocoa Processors declined by 9.38 per cent to close at N7.05.
In terms of trading activity, Sovereign Trust Insurance dominated the session with 245 million shares exchanged. Access Holdings followed with 78.4 million shares, while Zenith Bank recorded 72.4 million shares traded. Jaiz Bank also saw strong investor interest, with 53.7 million shares changing hands.
Market analysts attributed the positive close to renewed investor appetite for consumer staples and select banking stocks, reflecting optimism around earnings prospects in key sectors despite lingering macroeconomic uncertainties.
