Emmanuel OchayiThe Nigerian Stock Market on Friday faced a downturn, with the NGX All-Share Index dipping by 298.41 points, settling at 103,437.67 points.
This decline mirrors a broader trend of diminishing market performance since the start of April.
Concurrently, the total market capitalization saw a significant decline of N155.909 billion, settling at N58.498 trillion, reflecting a 0.29% dip from the preceding value of N58.653 trillion.
Analysts point to the lackluster performance of key financial institutions within the SWOOT sector as a primary driver behind today’s losses. In a direct speech, financial analyst Aisha Ibrahim states, “The banking sector, which forms a significant portion of our market, is facing challenges, resulting in downward pressure on the overall market performance.”
Indeed, major players like FBN Holdings, GTCO, ACCESS Holdings, and ZENITH BANK experienced notable drops in their share prices, with declines ranging from 1.62% to 4.62%. This downward momentum is further underscored by a decline in MTNN’s share price by 0.87%.
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However, amid this gloom, there were pockets of resilience in the market. Companies such as AIRTELAFRI, BUACEMENT, BUAFOODS, DANGCEM, GEREGU, SEPLAT, TRANSCOHOT, and TRANSPOWER managed to maintain stable share prices despite the market’s fluctuations.
The day’s trading session also saw some intriguing dynamics. While the overall trading activity decreased, there was a surge in the volume of shares traded, increasing by 1.75 billion shares. This surge, amounting to a 359.58% rise, pushed the total traded volume to 2.24 billion units, surpassing the previous session’s figures.
In terms of value, there was a notable increase of 19.75%, adding N3.09 billion to reach a total trading value of N18.73 billion for the session. ZENITHBANK emerged as the top player in this aspect, with trades worth N3.66 billion.
Wrapping up the day, the market’s transaction volume contracted slightly to 8,527 deals, with notable performances from ABBEYBDS and ZENITHBANK. ABBEYBDS led the trading volume with an impressive 1.40 billion units, while ZENITHBANK dominated in terms of value traded.
Reflecting on the day’s events, market observers remain cautiously optimistic about the market’s resilience amidst challenges. “While today’s performance reflects certain vulnerabilities, there are underlying strengths in the market that may help stabilize it in the coming sessions,” says market analyst Ibrahim.
In conclusion, the Nigerian Stock Market navigated a challenging trading day marked by a dip in performance, primarily driven by the underperformance of leading banking institutions. Despite this, signs of resilience and potential for stabilization remain on the horizon.
