The Nigerian Exchange (NGX) opened the new trading week on a bullish note, adding ₦263bn in market value as bargain-hunting in consumer goods and insurance equities lifted sentiment.
At Monday’s close, the market capitalisation rose to ₦88.2tn from ₦87.9tn, while the benchmark All-Share Index advanced by 414.74 points, or 0.30 per cent, to settle at 139,394.75 points.
Despite the uptick, overall trading volume dipped 48 per cent to 947.83 million shares compared with the previous session. However, the value of transactions climbed 12 per cent to ₦17.96bn across 36,006 deals, marking a 46 per cent increase in activity.
Market breadth leaned positive with 41 gainers against 18 losers. PZ Cussons Nigeria and University Press Plc topped the charts, each gaining 10 per cent to close at ₦35.20 and ₦5.50 per share respectively. Ellah Lakes Plc surged 9.94 per cent, while Legend Internet advanced 9.90 per cent.
On the losers’ side, Nigerian Enamelware Plc shed 10 per cent to close at ₦35.10, alongside Industrial and Medical Gases Nigeria Plc, Union Dicon Salt, and Thomas Wyatt Nigeria Plc, which also posted 10 per cent declines.
FCMB Group dominated trading by both volume and value, with 460.95 million shares worth ₦4.73bn changing hands. Other active stocks included Universal Insurance, Royal Exchange, Zenith Bank, GTCO, Dangote Sugar, and Nestlé Nigeria.
Across sectors, insurance led the gains, rising 3.16 per cent, followed by consumer goods (+0.6 per cent) and the main board (+0.54 per cent). The NGX Top 30 Index added 0.11 per cent, while industrial stocks edged up 0.02 per cent. Oil and gas shares closed flat.
The positive start comes after a rough previous week, when investors lost ₦833bn in a holiday-shortened four-day session. Despite short-term setbacks, the NGX remains up 35.43 per cent year-to-date, reflecting continued appetite for select blue-chip stocks.
