Relief for investors as the equities market adds N437bn in a week
The Nigerian equities market made a strong recovery during the just-concluded trading week, bouncing back from four consecutive weeks of decline and recording a gain of N437 billion on the Nigerian Exchange (NGX).
This rebound follows a significant loss of N532 billion reported in the previous week.
Throughout the week, the market closed on a positive note in three out of five trading sessions, culminating in a total gain of N437 billion.
As a result, the market capitalisation increased from N65.820 trillion recorded in the previous week to N66.257 trillion.
Similarly, the All-Share Index (ASI) appreciated by 0.66%, closing at 105,660.64 points compared to the previous week’s 104,962.96 points.
The Nigerian equities market started the week on a bullish note on Monday, 24 March 2025, with investors gaining N368.99 billion by the close of the trading session.
The upward trend continued on Tuesday, 25 March 2025, with investors adding another N26.27 billion in value.
However, market sentiment shifted on Wednesday, 26 March 2025, as the bears returned, leading to a decline of N73.93 billion.
The downtrend persisted on Thursday, 27 March 2025, as investors recorded further losses amounting to N30.89 billion.
Despite the midweek downturn, the market ended on a strong note on Friday, 28 March 2025, closing with a profit as investors gained N147.06 billion.
During the week, a total of 7.521 billion shares valued at N398.949 billion were traded across 61,312 deals on the floor of the Exchange. This represents a significant increase compared to the previous week’s turnover of 2.902 billion shares worth N48.064 billion, exchanged in 57,044 deals.
The Industrial Goods sector, measured by volume, led the activity chart with 4.923 billion shares valued at N331.999 billion traded across 2,969 deals. This sector accounted for 65.46% of the total equity turnover volume and 83.22% of the total market value.
The Financial Services industry followed, with 2.092 billion shares worth N31.744 billion exchanged in 32,421 deals.
In third place was the Services industry, where a total turnover of 198.775 million shares valued at N788.669 million was traded across 3,450 deals.
Trading activity was dominated by three equities: Lafarge Africa Plc, Sovereign Trust Insurance Plc, and Cutix Plc, which accounted for a combined total of 5.546 billion shares worth N332.381 billion in 1,300 deals. These companies contributed 73.73% of total equity turnover volume and 83.31% of total market value.
In terms of stock performance, forty-three (43) equities saw an increase in share price, which is higher than the thirty-two (32) equities recorded in the previous week.
Meanwhile, thirty-six (36) equities recorded a decline in share price, an improvement from the forty-eight (48) stocks that depreciated in the prior week. Additionally, seventy-one (71) equities remained unchanged, slightly lower than the seventy (70) recorded in the previous week.
Among the top gainers, Mutual Benefits Assurance Plc led the way, posting a 56.72% increase in share price.
Following closely was Sunu Assurances Nigeria Plc, which saw a 33.27% rise in its share price.
Similarly, Abbey Mortgage Bank Plc recorded a 31.39% increase, reinforcing investor confidence in the stock.
Conversely, Africa Prudential Plc suffered the steepest decline, with its share price dropping 60.45%.
CWG Plc also saw a downturn, shedding 11.11% of its value.
John Holt Plc recorded a 10.00% decline in share price, reflecting negative sentiment around the stock
