The Nigerian Exchange Limited sustained its bullish run on Tuesday, as investors gained a total of N1.05tn following renewed buy interest in blue-chip stocks across major sectors.

At the close of trading, the All-Share Index rose by 1,662.60 points, representing a 1.56 per cent increase to settle at 108,361.10 points, compared to the previous day’s 106,698.50 points. This positive movement lifted the market capitalisation from N67.05tn to N68.1tn.

Tuesday’s performance also marked a one-week gain of 2.12 per cent, a four-week gain of 2.69 per cent, and a year-to-date return of 5.28 per cent, indicating improving investor sentiment across the board.

In total, investors exchanged 475,459,089 shares in 17,575 deals, valued at N13.9bn. This marked a decline compared to Monday’s session, with volume down by 16 per cent, turnover lower by 27 per cent, and the number of deals reduced by 6 per cent.

Out of 126 listed equities that participated in the day’s trading, 42 recorded price gains while 25 recorded losses.

Leading the pack of gainers was Nestle Nigeria Plc, which appreciated by 10 per cent to close at N1,210.00 per share. It was followed by Northern Nigeria Flour Mills Plc, also gaining 10 per cent to close at N82.50.

Ecobank Transnational Incorporated likewise recorded a 10 per cent increase, ending the day at N25.85 per share. Beta Glass Plc gained 9.98 per cent to close at N132.80, while Austin Laz & Company Plc added 9.94 per cent to sell at N1.88 per share. Academy Press Plc rose by 9.76 per cent to finish at N3.26, rounding off the top performers for the day.

On the flip side, Guinea Insurance Plc led the laggards with a decline of 8.70 per cent, closing at N0.63 per share. DAAR Communications Plc followed with a 6.78 per cent drop to close at N0.55.

VFD Group Plc also dipped by 6.59 per cent to settle at N17.00, while Wapic Insurance Plc lost 6.07 per cent to close at N2.01. Regency Alliance Insurance Plc was down by 4.69 per cent to N0.61 and Meyer Plc shed 4.19 per cent to close at N8.00 per share.

In terms of volume, Access Holdings Plc topped the chart with 104 million shares traded. It was followed by Guaranty Trust Holding Company Plc with 38 million shares, United Bank for Africa Plc with 30.7 million shares, and Sterling Financial Holdings Company Plc, which recorded 27.2 million shares.

Key sectoral indices closed positively, reflecting widespread investor optimism. The Top 30 Index gained 1.32 per cent, while the Oil and Gas Index surged by 2.97 per cent. The Premium Board Index rose by 2.55 per cent and the Pension Index advanced by 1.91 per cent.

Meanwhile, the Consumer Goods Index added 1.75 per cent, supported by gains in Nestle and other FMCG stocks. The Banking Index was up by 1.6 per cent, despite mixed performances among lenders.

The PUNCH reported that the Nigerian equities market kicked off the new trading week on a bullish note. On Monday, investors gained N413bn, driven by price appreciation in blue-chip stocks such as Beta Glass, Cadbury, and Multiverse.