...The Naira depreciated by 0.26% to close at ₦1,363.40
The Nigerian equities market wrapped up the final trading session of the week and month on a negative footing, as the NGX All-Share Index (NGX ASI) declined by 38 basis points to close at 192,826.77 points, marking the fourth consecutive session of losses. The downturn was primarily driven by pronounced sell-offs in Industrial Goods and Oil & Gas counters, which weighed materially on the market.
The bearish close was fuelled by declines in MECURE, DANGCEM, UACN, ARADEL, TRANSCORP, FIRSTHOLDCO, GTCO, alongside 18 other laggards.
Consequently, the year to date return moderated to 23.91%, as market capitalization declined by 0.38% to ₦123.76 trillion, representing a ₦475.62 billion loss of investors’ wealth.
Sectoral performance was positive, with three of the five tracked indices closing higher. The Insurance Index led the gainers, rising by 1.52%, driven by strong advances in SOVRENINS, GUINEAINS, FTGINSURE, UNIVINSURE, and MANSARD. The Banking Index followed, up by 0.79%, supported by gains in UBA, ZENITHBANK, FCMB, ACCESSCORP, and WEMABANK. The Consumer Goods Index also edged higher by 0.25%, lifted by price appreciation in CADBURY, PZ, DANGSUGAR, and BUAFOODS.
On the downside, the Industrial Goods Index fell by 2.58%, weighed down by losses DANGCEM, while selling pressure in ARADEL dragged down the Oil & Gas index by 0.26%.
MARKET ACTIVITY: Market activity was mixed as traded volume depreciated by 5.15% to 823.83 million units. While traded value appreciated by 10.37% to ₦34.75 billion.
MARKET BREADTH: The market breadth, which measures investor sentiment through the Gainers/Losers ratio, increased to 1.56x from 0.79x as 39 stocks appreciated, 25 stocks depreciated, and 67 stocks closed flat.
FIXED INCOME MARKET: The average yield of the Treasury Bill and Bond markets closed slightly bearish at 17.26% and 15.42%, respectively.
CURRENCY MARKET: The Naira depreciated by 0.26% to close at ₦1,363.40
