The Nigerian Exchange Group (NGX) opened the week on a bullish note as the NGX All-Share Index surged by 0.70%, largely driven by renewed interest in banking stocks.
This resurgence represents a turnaround from the previous week’s downturn in the financial services sector.
During Monday’s trading session, the banking index emerged as the primary gainer, soaring by two percent.
The upswing was propelled by increased buy pressure in prominent banking equities such as Wema Bank, Zenith Bank, UBA, Access Holdings, and Fidelity Bank Plc.
The rebound in banking stocks contributed significantly to the overall positive sentiment in the market.
The insurance sector also experienced gains, appreciating by 1.48% while the consumer and industrial goods indexes saw mild gains of 1.09% and 0.11%, respectively.
However, the oil/gas sector witnessed a marginal decline of 0.23% due to sell sentiments in Eterna Plc.
By the close of trading, the NGX All-Share Index rose to 102,044.84 index points, representing a year-to-date return of 36.47%.
This positive momentum resulted in investors gaining approximately N404 billion, pushing the market capitalization to N57.6 trillion.
Market sentiments remained positive, with 34 securities recording gains compared to 16 losers.
Honeywell Flourmill and NEM Insurance emerged as top gainers, each surging by 10%, while Dangote Sugar stocks appreciated by 9.97%.
Overall, trading activities reflected increased investor optimism, with total deals and volume rising by 5.17% and 22% respectively.
However, the total value of transactions experienced a slight decline of 13.98%, amounting to N17.10 billion.
The bullish start to the week signals renewed investor confidence and a promising outlook for the Nigerian equities market.
