The Nigerian Exchange (NGX) equities market ended Tuesday’s trading session on a bearish note, with investors losing N326 billion as market capitalization fell by 0.4%. The market cap closed at N89.198 trillion, down from N89.524 trillion at the start of the day.
The All-Share Index (ASI) also recorded a decline, dropping 568.62 points, or 0.4%, to close at 140,929.60, compared to 141,498.22 on Monday. The downturn was largely attributed to profit-taking in major stocks, including Dangote Sugar, Wema Bank, Secure Electronic Technology, Access Corporation, and Aradel Holdings, alongside 30 other decliners.
Market breadth reflected the negative sentiment, with 35 stocks recording losses compared to 16 gainers. Dangote Sugar led the losers, plummeting 10% to close at N54 per share. Wema Bank followed with an 8.27% drop to N18.85, while Secure Electronic Technology fell 6.25% to 75 kobo. Access Corporation declined by 4.98% to N24.80, and Aradel Holdings shed 4.76% to end at N560 per share.
On the positive side, Thomas Wyatt Nigeria topped the gainers’ chart, rising 9.80% to N2.80 per share. Chellaram advanced by 9.59% to N16, RT Briscoe gained 9.50% to close at N3.29, and Custodian Investment increased by 9.40% to N48.30. NGX Group also saw a strong performance, climbing 6.99% to N58.95 per share.
Trading activity showed a surge in volume and value, though the number of deals decreased. A total of 759.1 million shares, valued at N25.7 billion, were traded in 23,657 transactions, compared to 488.5 million shares worth N13.7 billion in 28,621 deals on Monday.
Consolidated Hallmark Holdings led the volume chart with 169.6 million shares traded for N644.7 million. Zenith Bank followed with 104.4 million shares valued at N6.9 billion, while FirstHoldCo recorded 100.9 million shares worth N3.2 billion. Fidelity Bank traded 52.5 million shares valued at N1.1 billion, and GTCO exchanged 45 million shares worth N4.1 billion.
The market’s performance reflects ongoing volatility, with investors navigating profit-taking and selective buying amid broader economic dynamics.
