December 22, (THEWILL) — The Nigerian equities market closed higher on Monday, 22nd December, as sustained buying interest lifted key indices despite pockets of profit-taking across select stocks.
Market capitalisation opened at ₦96.936 and closed at ₦97.193, while the All-Share Index (ASI) advanced from 152,057.38 points to 152,459.07 points. Market breadth was positive, with 34 gainers against 20 losers, reflecting improving investor participation.
Top gainers for the day include:
ALEX gained 9.72 percent (₦12.35 to ₦13.55).
INTENEGINS rose by 9.69 percent (₦2.27 to ₦2.49).
MECURE advanced 9.64 percent (₦55.00 to ₦60.30).
ROYALEX appreciated by 9.60 percent (₦1.77 to ₦1.94).
AUSTINLAZ climbed 9.50 percent (₦2.42 to ₦2.65).
Top losers for the day include:
ABCTRANS declined by -10.00 percent (₦3.50 to ₦3.15).
CUSTODIAN shed -10.00 percent (₦39.00 to ₦35.10).
PRESTIGE fell by -7.41 percent (₦1.62 to ₦1.50).
GUINEAINS dipped by -7.38 percent (₦1.22 to ₦1.13).
ELLAHLAKES eased by -6.45 percent (₦13.95 to ₦13.05).
Unchanged stocks for the session were MTN Nigeria Communications, Dangote Cement Plc, Lafarge Africa Plc, Seplat Energy, and Okomu Oil Palm.
Investor sentiment remained moderately bullish, driven by continued bargain hunting in mid- and small-cap stocks, as well as portfolio repositioning ahead of year-end. The dominance of gainers suggests growing confidence in near-term market opportunities, even as sell-offs in some large-cap names indicate selective profit-taking.
Looking ahead, the market is expected to maintain its positive bias in the short term, supported by window-dressing activities and residual liquidity seeking equities with strong momentum. However, intermittent pullbacks may occur as investors lock in gains ahead of the holiday period, keeping trading largely selective.
Ogochukwu Onwaeze
