Lagos: The equities market sustained its upward momentum on Friday, closing the week on a strong note as investors gained N1.857 trillion.
This extended streak of positive performance marks the 14th consecutive session of gains on the local bourse.
Gains in Academy Press, UPDC, Haldane McCall, Zichis Agro Allied Industries, Wema Bank, and 38 others drove the market upward.
Market capitalisation rose to N145.334 trillion from N143.477 trillion, marking a 1.29 per cent or N1.857 trillion gain.
In line with these developments, the All-Share Index climbed by 2,884.81 points, or 1.29 per cent, to close at 225,722.49, compared to 222,837.68 recorded in the previous session on Thursday.
The rally strengthened the year-to-date return. Market breadth remained positive, with 43 gainers and 26 losers.
Highlighting the day’s top performers, Academy Press and UPDC led the gainers’ chart by 10 per cent, settling at N7.70 and N4.40 per share.
Also, Haldane McCall gained by 9.97 per cent, finishing at N3.97, Zichis Agro Allied Industries grew by 9.94 per cent, closing at N15.60, and Wema Bank increased by 9.84 per cent, ending the session at N31.25 per share.
On the flip side, Meyer led the losers’ chart by 9.92 per cent, closing at N16.80; Trans-Nationwide Express followed with 9.30 per cent, ending the session at N7.90; while Cileasing shed 8.53 per cent, finishing at N5.90 per share.
Similarly, Omatek Ventures fell by 7.34 per cent to N2.02 per share, and E-Tranzact declined by 5.28 per cent to N17.05 per share.
Analysis of the market revealed a 6 per cent decline in volume, a 4 per cent increase in deals, and 17 per cent growth in value.
A total of 627.6 million shares valued at N44.5 billion were traded in 55,232 transactions, compared to the previous session’s 667.9 million shares worth N38.12 billion that were exchanged across 53,062 deals.
Meanwhile, Access Corporation emerged as the most traded stock by volume, with 75.62 million shares traded, representing 12.05 per cent of the day’s total volume.
MTN Nigeria led in value, with transactions worth N8.20 billion, making up 18.42 per cent of the total value traded.
