Nigerian Stock Market Dips as Weak Momentum Drains N39 Billion from Investors

The Nigerian stock market experienced a downturn on Friday as the local bourse closed negatively by 0.11% week-on-week, causing investors to lose N39 billion.

This drop in market performance was primarily attributed to weak market momentum.

Both the market capitalization and the Nigerian Exchange Limited All Share Index ended trading lower at N36.847 trillion and 67,324.59 points, respectively, compared to the previous week’s figures of N36.886 trillion and 67,395.74 basis points.

Despite the overall decline, the total turnover of shares showed an increase as 3.911 billion units worth N30.38 billion were traded in 38,536 deals, against a total of 2.933 billion shares valued at N47.45 billion that were exchanged in 44,654 deals.

The Financial Services Industry led in terms of volume traded with 2.774 billion shares valued at N15.24 billion while the Oil and Gas Industry followed with 438.508 million shares worth N5.20 billion, and the ICT Industry ranked third with 294.470 million shares valued at N4.447 billion.

The Insurance sector emerged as the top gainer during the week with a 3.34% increase, followed by Consumer goods (+2.98%), Banking (+0.61%), and Oil & Gas (+0.56%).

In contrast, the Industrial Goods sector saw a 4.80% decline, primarily due to a decrease in Dangote Cement’s share price.

The week saw 48 equities appreciating in value, 40 equities depreciating, and 67 remaining unchanged. Sunu Assurances topped the gainers’ chart with a 32.91% increase in share price, followed by Ellah Lakes Plc (+28.79%) and E-Tranzact International Plc (+28.57%).

Tantalizers led the losers’ table with a 21.05% dip, followed by Guinea Insurance (-20.69%) and McNichols (-13.33%).

Analysts expect mixed sentiments in the market for the coming week, with positive momentum potentially offset by profit-taking activities. The uncertainty is expected to be fueled by half-year earnings reports and continued portfolio reshuffling in preparation for the quarter-end reporting season.

Investors are advised to stay vigilant and adapt to market dynamics as they navigate these challenging times.