April 15, (THEWILL) — Trading on the Nigerian Exchange Limited closed on a strong bullish note on Wednesday, as renewed buying interest in heavyweight stocks pushed the market to fresh highs.
The session opened with the market capitalisation at ₦132.492 trillion and closed significantly higher at ₦134.772 trillion, reflecting a ₦2.28 trillion gain for the day.
Similarly, the All-Share Index (ASI) advanced from 205,831.38 points at the opening of trade to 209,317.40 points at the close, as sustained investor demand lifted major equities across key sectors.
Market breadth finished marginally positive, with 39 gainers against 37 losers, underscoring a broadly optimistic trading sentiment despite pockets of profit-taking.
The day’s rally was largely supported by strong gains in high-value stocks, particularly in the telecommunications and energy segments, where investors continued to position ahead of expected corporate earnings and portfolio rebalancing.
TOP GAINERS FOR THE SESSION
ARADEL 10.00 percent (₦1,279.00 to ₦1,406.90).
AIRTELAFRI 10.00 percent (₦2,497.00 to ₦2,746.70).
ETI 9.98 percent (₦50.60 to ₦55.65).
TRANSEXPR 9.89 percent (₦4.55 to ₦5.00).
FTGINSURE 9.82 percent (₦1.12 to ₦1.23).
TOP LOSERS FOR THE SESSION
AUSTINLAZ -9.77 percent (₦3.99 to ₦3.60).
JOHNHOLT -9.72 percent (₦14.40 to ₦13.00).
CWG -7.22 percent (₦22.85 to ₦21.20).
CONOIL -6.80 percent (₦204.40 to ₦190.50).
OMATEK -5.48 percent (₦2.19 to ₦2.07).
Several bellwether stocks ended the session unchanged, including Dangote Cement Plc, Seplat Energy Plc, Julius Berger Nigeria Plc, Champion Breweries Plc, Nigerian Breweries Plc, Cadbury Nigeria Plc and Nestlé Nigeria Plc.
Market sentiment remained constructively positive, supported by sustained institutional positioning in large-capitalised stocks and renewed interest in telecom and financial sector counters.
Looking ahead, analysts expect mixed but cautiously bullish trading in the next session as investors continue to rotate positions across sectors while monitoring macroeconomic signals and corporate disclosures.
Profit-taking may emerge in some recently appreciated counters, but sustained interest in fundamentally strong equities could help the market maintain its upward momentum in the near term.
Ogochukwu Onwaeze is a writer specializing in business and economic journalism. At THEWILL News Media, she translates market trends, financial developments, and policy shifts into clear and engaging stories.
