The Nigerian Exchange Limited (NGX) opened the new trading week on a strong bullish note on Monday, as aggressive buying across key stocks propelled total market capitalisation higher by N745 billion.
Okay News reports that equities market capitalisation climbed to N104.52 trillion from N103.78 trillion recorded in the previous session, while the All-Share Index advanced by 946.61 points, or 0.58 per cent, closing at 163,244.69 points from 162,298.08 points.
Market activity improved significantly, with a total of 1.15 billion shares valued at N19.21 billion traded across 59,326 deals. This represented an 84 per cent increase in volume, a four per cent rise in turnover, and a 35 per cent improvement in the number of deals compared with the preceding trading day.
Trading was broadly positive, with 128 listed equities participating in the session. Forty-nine stocks closed higher, while twenty equities ended lower, reflecting a clear bullish undertone across the market.
On the gainers’ table, E-Tranzact International led with a 10 per cent appreciation to close at N16.50 per share. Red Star Express also gained 10 per cent to settle at N11.55, while McNichols rose by 10 per cent to N6.05. UPDC advanced 10 per cent to N5.50, RT Briscoe added 10 per cent to close at N3.96, and Deap Capital Management and Trust appreciated by 10 per cent to end at N3.30 per share.
Conversely, Champion Breweries topped the losers’ chart, shedding 8.51 per cent to close at N15.05 per share. Eunisell Interlinked declined by 8.01 per cent to N156.20, Ikeja Hotel dropped eight per cent to N36.80, Guinea Insurance fell 7.30 per cent to N1.27, Omatek Ventures lost 3.12 per cent to N1.24, and Lasaco Assurance declined by 2.99 per cent to N2.60 per share.
Trading activity was dominated by Sovereign Trust Insurance, which recorded the highest volume with over 307 million units exchanged. Fidelity Bank followed with approximately 158 million shares, while Linkage Assurance and Mutual Benefits Assurance also featured prominently among the most actively traded stocks.
By value, Fidelity Bank led transactions with shares worth N3.14 billion traded during the session. Aradel Holdings, Zenith Bank, Eunisell Interlinked, and Sovereign Trust Insurance also contributed significantly to overall market liquidity.
Analysts attributed the strong performance to renewed bargain hunting, particularly in the banking and insurance sectors, alongside improved investor confidence following the recent breach of the N100 trillion market capitalisation milestone.
They noted that sustained buying interest, supported by expectations of strong full-year corporate earnings and ongoing portfolio rebalancing, could help maintain upward momentum in the near term, although intermittent profit-taking is likely to persist.
The NGX’s robust start to the week reinforces its position as one of the best-performing equity markets in the region, with market capitalisation now firmly above N104 trillion, signalling continued resilience despite broader macroeconomic headwinds.
 opened the new trading week on a strong bullish note on Monday, as aggressive buying across key stocks propelled total market capitalisation higher by N745 billion.){kind=link}