By Seun Ibiyemi
The Nigerian Exchange (NGX) resumed trading on Tuesday following the Easter holiday with a positive performance, as investors collectively gained N208 billion.
The market rally was fueled by buying interest in stocks including Trans-Nationwide Express, Omatek Ventures, Cadbury Nigeria, First Holding Company, and Fortis Global Insurance among others.
Market capitalisation increased by 0.16 per cent, rising from N129.806 trillion at the opening to N130.014 trillion at close.
Similarly, the All-Share Index (ASI) advanced by 324.21 points, or 0.16 per cent, to close at 202,023.10, compared with 201,698.89 recorded at the previous session. This brought the year-to-date return to 29.82 per cent.
Despite the gains, market breadth closed negative, with 37 losers against 24 gainers. Leading the decliners was Ellah Lakes Plc, down 10 per cent to N10.80 per share.
Other notable losers included Daar Communications (–9.95%), CHAMS (–9.87%), John Holt (–9.71%), and Sunu Assurances (–9.68%).
On the gainers’ side, Trans-Nationwide Express led with a 9.86 per cent increase to N3.12 per share, followed by Omatek Ventures (+9.76%), Cadbury Nigeria (+9.53%), First Holding Company (+9.10%), and Fortis Global Insurance (+6.50%).
Trading activity showed heightened market participation with 1.15 billion shares valued at N40.3 billion exchanged in 78,006 deals, compared to 559.9 million shares worth N19.26 billion traded in 49,676 deals in the previous session.
Read also:Sen. Adeola urges supporters to halt premature campaigns ahead of 2027
Wema Bank Plc led trading by volume with 282.6 million shares worth N7.3 billion, followed by Access Corporation (125.2 million shares, N3.3 billion), VFD Group (106.8 million shares, N1.13 billion), First Holding Company (62.9 million shares, N3.2 billion), and Guaranty Trust Holding Company (56.6 million shares, N7.05 billion).
The market’s strong resumption signals renewed investor confidence as trading activity continues to gain momentum following the festive break.
