The Nigerian stock market started the week on a high note, with investors witnessing a substantial ₦341 billion boost in market capitalization, driven by surging interest in large-cap cement companies like Dangote Cement and BUA Cement.
This bullish momentum comes on the heels of a robust ₦3.5 trillion gain in portfolio value recorded in the previous week. The continued upswing has now pushed the year-to-date (YTD) return to an impressive 23.09%, reflecting renewed investor confidence in fundamentally strong equities.
The total market capitalization closed at ₦80.14 trillion, indicating increased liquidity and heightened buying activity. Analysts attribute the rally to strategic accumulation of blue-chip stocks including DANGCEM (+1.2%), TRANSCORP (+7.5%), and BUACEMENT (+5.3%), among 41 other gainers.
The All-Share Index (ASI) climbed by 229.85 points to close at a fresh all-time high of 126,379.44 points, translating to a 0.18% daily gain.
Despite mixed sentiments in trading activity, the total volume of shares traded dipped by 10.03%, while the total value exchanged rose marginally by 0.21%. According to Atlass Portfolio Limited, approximately 1.25 billion units valued at ₦30.61 billion were traded across 38,918 deals.
ACCESSCORP dominated the volume chart, contributing 10.75% of total trades, followed by JAPAULGOLD (7.27%), AIICO (7.27%), UBA (5.36%), and JAIZBANK (4.65%).
In value terms, SEPLAT emerged as the most traded equity, accounting for 16.72% of the market’s total turnover.
On the gainers’ chart, NSLTECH led with a 10.00% increase in share price, closely followed by ABBEYBDS (+9.99%), IKEJAHOTEL (+9.95%), MCNICHOLS (+9.92%), and TRIPPLEG (+9.78%).
On the downside, 36 stocks declined, led by RTBRISCOE, CAVERTON, CUTIX, and TANTALIZER, all shedding 10.00%. Other notable laggards included NEIMETH (-9.95%), ELLAHLAKES (-9.90%), and JAPAULGOLD (-9.85%).
Market breadth ended positive, with 44 advancers outpacing 36 decliners. Sectoral indices also closed broadly positive, led by the Industrial Goods (+2.27%), Banking (+0.55%), Commodities (+0.41%), and Oil & Gas (+0.02%) sectors. However, Consumer Goods (-0.35%) and Insurance (-1.73%) posted minor losses.
