Investors in the Nigerian equities market recorded a loss of N197 billion at the close of trading on Monday, following a slump in the share prices of major stocks, including International Breweries, RT Briscoe, and Cornerstone.
The downturn dragged the benchmark All-Share Index (ASI) down to 143,210.33 points, lower than the 143,520.53 points recorded on Friday.
Consequently, the market’s equity capitalisation slipped to N91.0 trillion, from N91.2 trillion posted at the previous session.
Market sentiment remained weak, with a negative market breadth as 19 stocks advanced, 26 declined, while 102 remained unchanged across 28,956 deals. Investors exchanged 1.47 billion units of shares worth N18.6 billion during the session.
On the gainers’ chart, NCR Nigeria, Sunu Assurance, and Champion Breweries led with growth of 9.97 per cent, 9.18 per cent, and 8.11 per cent, closing at N60.10, N4.28, and N14.00 per share respectively.
Conversely, International Breweries, RT Briscoe, and Cornerstone Insurance topped the losers’ table after shedding 10 per cent, 9.88 per cent, and 7.83 per cent to close at N10.53, N3.10, and N5.53 per share.
On the activity chart, Wema Bank led the volume index with 113 million shares traded in 357 deals. It was followed by Access Holdings Plc, which recorded 93 million shares in 1,560 deals, while Fidelity Bank Plc traded 59 million shares in 471 deals.
Wema Bank also led on the value index with trades worth N2.0 billion, followed by Access Holdings at N1.9 billion, and Zenith Bank, which posted N1.5 billion in 1,614 deals.