April 19, (THEWILL) — The Nigerian equities market closed the week on a strong bullish trajectory, with investors sustaining aggressive buying activity across banking and industrial stocks.
A total turnover of 3.588 billion shares worth ₦195.313 billion was traded this week in contrast to 3.361 billion shares valued at ₦151.948 billion recorded in the previous week, reflecting improved liquidity and heightened investor participation on the trading floor.
The Financial Services Industry (measured by volume) dominated the activity chart with 2.498 billion shares valued at ₦94.005 billion traded in 111,052 deals, contributing 69.62 percent and 48.13 percent to the total equity turnover volume and value respectively.
The Services Industry followed with 329.034 million shares worth ₦3.452 billion, while the Oil and Gas Industry ranked third with 152.472 million shares valued at ₦42.511 billion.
Trading in the top three equities — Sterling Financial Holdings Company Plc, Access Holdings Plc and Zenith Bank Plc accounted for 1.038 billion shares worth ₦46.081 billion in 33,067 deals, contributing 28.92 percent and 23.59 percent to the total equity turnover volume and value respectively.
Market performance remained broadly positive as the NGX All-Share Index (ASI) and Market Capitalisation advanced by 6.57 percent and 6.60 percent respectively, closing the week at 217,167.57 points and ₦139.827 trillion.
Similarly, most sectoral indices finished the week in positive territory except the NGX Insurance and NGX Growth indices, which dipped by 0.04 percent and 0.99 percent respectively.
Market breadth improved significantly during the week as 61 equities recorded price appreciation, higher than 25 gainers recorded in the previous week.
Conversely, 36 equities declined in price, lower than 54 recorded in the preceding week, while 49 equities remained unchanged, compared with 67 in the prior week.
TOP FIVE GAINERS FOR THE WEEK
1 TRANS-NATIONWIDE EXPRESS PLC surged 60.48 percent (N3.77 to N6.05).
2 ECOBANK TRANSNATIONAL INCORPORATED rallied 46.30 percent (N46.00 to N67.30).
3 STANBIC IBTC HOLDINGS PLC advanced 36.63 percent (N138.00 to N188.55).
4 ROYAL EXCHANGE PLC appreciated 29.37 percent (N1.43 to N1.85).
5 ARADEL HOLDINGS PLC climbed 28.93 percent (N1,279.00 to N1,649.00).
TOP FIVE DECLINERS FOR THE WEEK
1 CORONATION INSURANCE PLC declined -14.38 percent (N2.92 to N2.50).
2 IKEJA HOTEL PLC shed -14.36 percent (N39.00 to N33.40).
3 INTERNATIONAL ENERGY INSURANCE PLC dropped -13.80 percent (N3.55 to N3.06).
4 ACADEMY PRESS PLC weakened -12.57 percent (N8.75 to N7.65).
5 HONEYWELL FLOUR MILL PLC slipped -11.01 percent (N21.35 to N19.00).
A total of 314,033 units valued at ₦318.559 million were traded in the bond market this week, higher than 185,584 units worth ₦193.445 million recorded in the previous week.
Investor sentiment remained firmly positive throughout the week as strong demand for banking and fundamentally sound equities drove the market’s upward momentum. The sharp rise in market breadth, alongside significant gains in financial stocks, reflects increased investor confidence and portfolio positioning for dividend-paying and fundamentally strong counters.
Looking ahead, analysts expect cautious optimism to persist in the coming week as investors continue to position in high-performing sectors. However, intermittent profit-taking may emerge following the strong rally recorded this week, potentially leading to mixed trading sessions while the broader bullish trend remains intact.
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.
