Nigerian Stock Market Records Marginal Decline, MTN and Dangote Sugar Lead Losers

The Nigerian Exchange Limited witnessed a marginal downturn as market capitalization slipped by N35 billion on Wednesday.

The All-Share Index and Market Capitalization both depreciated by 0.09% to close at 71,003.98 points and N39.047 trillion, respectively.

Despite this dip, market breadth remained positive with 36 gainers and 15 losers.

Major contributors to the decline included MTN Nigeria (-0.63%), Dangote Sugar (-1.64%), Lafarge Africa Plc (-1.34%), United Bank for Africa (-0.24%), and FBN Holdings (-4%).

Gainers were led by RT Briscoe, Daar Communications, and Unity Bank, each posting a 10% gain. Meanwhile, MeCure Industries, Multiverse, and Secure Electronic Technology saw increases of 9.96%, 9.82%, and 9.52%, respectively.

On the downside, C&I Leasing, Prestige Assurance, International Breweries Plc, UPDC Real Estate Investment Trust, and FBN Holdings recorded losses of 7.58%, 7.55%, 5.56%, 4.60%, and 4%, respectively.

Sectoral performance varied, with the Banking and Insurance sectors posting marginal gains of 0.19% and 0.75%.

In contrast, the Consumer Goods and Industrial Goods sectors experienced losses of 0.19% and 0.08%, while the Oil/Gas index remained unchanged.

Market activity showed improvement, with total deals rising by 1.95% to 6,677 trades. The total traded value for the day surged by 128.85% to N7.37 billion, although the total volume declined by 12.81% to 428.44 million units.

Veritaskap led in trading volume, while MTN Nigeria dominated in terms of value, amounting to N2.81 billion.

The fluctuation in market indices underscores the dynamic nature of the Nigerian stock market, influenced by both local and global economic factors.

Investors are carefully navigating these shifts to optimize their portfolios in a constantly evolving market landscape.