The Nigerian Exchange Limited lost N54bn in market capitalisation at the close of trading on Thursday, 29 May 2025, ending its recent bullish streak despite a positive breadth with 41 gainers against 24 losers.

Market capitalisation dipped to N70.50tn from N70.56tn in the previous session, while the All-Share Index declined by 84.53 points, or 0.08 per cent, to close at 111,818.08.

The downturn in the market came despite improved trading activity, as investors exchanged 556.4 million shares worth N17.17bn in 18,505 deals, marking a nine per cent increase in volume and an 11 per cent rise in the number of deals compared to the previous session.

Mutual Benefits Assurance led the gainers’ chart with a 10 per cent increase to close at N1.10 per share. University Press rose by 9.98 per cent to N6.17, and Academy Press appreciated by 9.88 per cent to N4.45, while SCOA Nigeria and Livestock Feeds gained 9.62 per cent and 9.58 per cent, respectively.

On the flip side, NPF Microfinance Bank emerged as the worst-performing stock, shedding 11.52 per cent to close at N2.15. Seplat and Legend Internet both declined by 10 per cent, while Abbey Mortgage Bank fell by 9.9 per cent to N6.19.

United Bank for Africa topped the volume chart with 82.6 million shares, followed by Fidelity Bank with 70.6 million, Nigerian Breweries with 37.2 million, and Tantalizers with 36.3 million shares.

In terms of sectoral performance, the Consumer Goods Index led the gainers with a 0.94 per cent rise, while the Banking Index rose by 0.3 per cent and the Main Board Index added 0.59 per cent.

The Industrial Index remained flat, while the

The Insurance Index dropped 0.17 per cent.

Despite the loss, the ASI has posted a one-week gain of 2.41 per cent, a four-week gain of 5.69 per cent, and a year-to-date return of 8.64 per cent.

The PUNCH reported that the Nigerian Exchange extended its bullish run on Wednesday, gaining N187bn in market capitalisation, driven by increased trading activity and positive investor sentiment.