Emmanuel OchayiThe Nigerian stock market, represented by the NGX, faced a downturn today, with pessimism overshadowing buying interests as investors lose N200bn in value.
The All-Share Index, a key indicator, plummeted by 353.51 points, closing at 99,311.54 points, indicating a prevailing negative sentiment among investors.
Market capitalization took a hit as well, witnessing a decrease of approximately N200 billion, settling at N56.167 trillion compared to the previous N56.367 trillion. This dip can be primarily attributed to lackluster performances by major financial companies in the SWOOT sector.
Amid this downward spiral, there were glimmers of positivity. SUNUASSUR and LEARNAFRICA defied the prevailing trend, experiencing a commendable 10% surge in their stock prices, outperforming 16 other stocks that saw gains. Conversely, HONYFLOUR led the decline among 25 stocks, with its share price dropping by 9.89%.
Reflecting on the day’s trading activities, an NGX investor expressed concern, saying, “The market seems to be on shaky ground, and the persistent selling pressure is unsettling. I’m cautious about making any significant moves until we see a more stable trajectory.”
Although TRANSCORP dominated in terms of trading volume and value, the total number of trades experienced a decline, with 7,324 transactions recorded, compared to the 8,298 deals in the previous session.
READ ALSO: NGX Sees 7th Day Of Losses, N304bn Equity Drop, FBN’s SWOOT Exit
Looking at the broader market indices, despite the downturn, trade volumes surged by a notable 87.34%, reaching approximately 574.43 million shares traded. TRANSCORP led the volume charts with 1.26 billion shares, closely followed by UPDCREIT with 1.21 billion shares.
In terms of trade value, there was a significant increase of 47.95%, totaling N7.84 billion, with TRANSCORP leading once again with N1.89 billion in trades.
The market’s mood was heavily influenced by the performance of key banks within the SWOOT group. Zenith Bank saw a substantial 5.01% decrease in stock value, while GTCO experienced a 2.59% dip. Despite this, firms like AIRTEL AFRICA, BUACEMENT, BUAFOODS, DANGCEMENT, GEREGU, MTNN, SEPLAT, TRANSCOHOT, and TRANSPOWER maintained stability in their stock prices amidst market volatility.
Within the banking sector, UBA emerged as a lone gainer, registering a slight increase of 0.66%. Conversely, FBN Holdings, Zenith Bank, Access Holdings, and GTCO witnessed declines of 9.88%, 5.01%, 4.46%, and 2.59%, respectively.
Analysts are closely monitoring the market dynamics and advising investors to tread cautiously amid the prevailing uncertainty. As one analyst puts it, “Volatility is expected to persist in the near term, and investors should focus on quality stocks with strong fundamentals to navigate through these turbulent times.”
