Stories by Amaka Ifeakandu
Lagos
Transactions on the floor of the Nigerian Stock Exchange NSE on Friday closed in a positive trend as the value of equities appreciated by N30 billion. The market capitalization of listed equities rose by 0.28 per cent to N10.657 trillion from N10.627 trillion recorded in the preceding week.
The NSE All-Share Index increased by 43.70 basis points or 0.14 per cent to 31,091.69 from 31,047.99 traded the previous week.
Similarly, all the Indices finished higher during the week, with the exception of Banking, Insurance,
ASeM, and Pension Indices that closed lower at 3.39 per cent, 6.78 per cent, 2.30 per cent and 2.30 per cent respectively. The 30 index increased by 0.50 basis points to 1,412.19 points, Consumer Goods Index grew by 3.20 basis points to 759.34, Oil/Gas index surged by 5.31 to 348.88, NSE Lotus II improved by 11.61 to 2,126.58 and Industrial Goods Index went up by 4.17 basis points to 2,177.59 points.
The trading activities which took place for four days because federal government declared Monday public holiday to observe Eid-el-Fitr showed that investors traded a turnover of 1.727 billion shares worth
N23.389 billion in 15 043 deals in contrast to a total of 1.187 billion shares valued at N20.259 billion that exchanged hands last week in 14,349 deals.
The Financial Services Industry led the activity chart in volume terms with account of 1.343 billion shares valued at N17.982 billion traded in 7,612 deals, contributing 77.80 per cent and 76.88 per cent to the total equity turnover volume and value respectively. The Healthcare Industry followed with a turnover of 184.005 million shares worth N109.613 million in 358 deals. The third position went to Conglomerates Industry with 71.320 million shares worth N276.503 million in 937 deals.
Trading in the top three equities namely – Zenith International Bank Plc, Union Diagnostic & Clinical Services Plc., and United Bank For Africa Plc, accounted for 1.028 billion shares worth N14.007 billion in 1,467 deals, contributing 60 per cent and 59.89 per cent to the total equity turnover volume and value respectively.
An analysis of the investment showed that 28 equities appreciated in price during the week, against 13 recorded in the preceding week.
The result further showed that 44 companies depreciated in price, compared with 57 stocks reported the previous week, while 118 equities remained unchanged, lower than 120 equities recorded in the preceding week.
Pfizer Products Plc led gainers table in percentage terms, growing by 19.69 per cent or N0.25 kobo to close at N1.52 kobo, Betaglass Company (Nigeria) Plc followed with a gain of 15.50 per cent or N5.30 kobo to close at N39.50 kobo while Caverton Offshore Support GRP Plc increased by 14.91 per cent or N0.55 kobo to close at N4.24 kobo.
Other companies appreciated in price were Honneywell Flour Mill Plc 10.71 per cent, Transnational Corporation of Nigeria 8.49 per cent, Oando Plc 7.94 per cent, 7UP Bottling Company Plc 7.18 per cent, Dangote Sugar Refinery Plc 5.08 per cent, Dangote Flour Mills Plc 4.92 per cent and Sterling Bank 4.88 per cent.
On the contrary, Trans Nationwide Express topped losers chart, dropping by 20.72 per cent or N0.23 kobo to close at N0.88 kobo Continental Reinsurance trailed with a loss of 19.42 per cent or N0.20 per cent to close at N0.83 kobo, Evans Medical Plc loss 16.44 per cent or N0.12 per cent to close at N0.61 kobo. Other firms that depreciated in price were Cement Company of Northern Nigeria Plc 15.64 per cent, Mcnichols 11.89 per cent, Ecobank Transnational Incorporated 10.00 per cent, Computer Warehouse Group 9.51 per cent, A.G. Leventis (Nigeria) Plc 9.51 per cent, May &Baker Nigeria Plc 8.55 per cent and Unity Bank 6.56 per cent.
