The Nigerian stock market rebounded on Friday with a gain of N208 billion, as renewed buying interest supported investor sentiment across the bourse.
The All-Share Index (ASI) rose by 321.05 points, representing a gain of 0.13 per cent to close at 248,363.55 points. Also, market capitalisation gained N208 billion to close at N161.260 trillion.
The upturn was driven by price appreciation in large and medium capitalised stocks amongst which are; MTN Nigeria Communications (MTNN), CAP, Oando, Unilever Nigeria and Livestock Feeds.
The recovery reflects mild bargain-hunting activities following the previous session’s sharp decline, although investor sentiment remains cautious.
Despite the uptrend, market breadth remained negative at 22 gainers versus 31 losers. Regency Alliance Insurance emerged the highest price gainer of 10 per cent to close at 77 kobo, per share. Livestock Feeds followed with a gain of 9.58 per cent to close at N13.15, while Guinea Insurance advanced by 9.14 per cent to close at 93 kobo, per share.
CAP rose by 8.50 per cent to close at N108.50, while UPDC went up by 7.69 per cent to close at N4.20, per share.
On the other side, Red Star Express led others on the losers’ chart with 9.76 per cent to close at N13.40, per share. Fidelity Bank followed with a decline of 8.70 per cent to close at N21.00, while Daar Communications shed 8.00 per cent to close at N1.38, per share.
Wapic Insurance lost 7.26 per cent to close at N2.30, while Omatek Venture depreciated by 6.94 per cent to close at N1.34, per share.
On market activity, trading weakened compared to the previous session, reflecting softer market participation. Total traded volume declined by 34.5 per cent to 322.04 million units from 492.23 million units, while transaction value decreased by 46.1 per cent to N20.50 billion from N38.02 billion.
Deal counts also fell by 2.3 per cent to 37,810 transactions from 38,711. The broad decline across key activity indicators suggests reduced investor participation and lower market engagement.
APT Securities & Funds Limited stated that “overall, the session was characterized by cautious bullish sentiment and weaker trading activity, as the market recorded a modest recovery amid subdued participation.”