The Nigerian Exchange Limited closed Wednesday’s trading session on a flat note, gaining N67bn in market capitalisation amid mixed sentiment across key sectors.

At the close of trading, the All-Share Index inched up by 105.70 points, representing a marginal gain of 0.08 per cent, to settle at 132,557.43 points. This pushed the market capitalisation up to N83.9tn from the N83.83tn recorded in the previous session.

Despite the uptick in market value, trading activities saw significant declines across the board. The total volume of shares traded fell by 12 per cent to 681.2 million units, while turnover dropped by 36 per cent to N17.02bn. The number of deals executed also declined by 18 per cent, closing at 26,931.

A total of 128 equities participated in the day’s trading, with 29 gainers and 37 losers, while 62 stocks closed flat. Academy Press Plc topped the gainers’ chart with a 10 per cent increase to close at N7.70 per share, followed by The Initiates Plc, which rose by 9.98 per cent to N13.34. Ikeja Hotel, Nigerian Enamelware, and NAHCO also made the top five, recording 9.95 per cent, 9.84 per cent, and 9.65 per cent gains, respectively.

On the flip side, Austin Laz & Company led the laggards, declining by 10 per cent to close at N2.34. Tripple Gee & Co., Omatek Ventures, Daar Communications, and Multiverse Mining also featured among the top losers, with losses ranging between 9.95 per cent and 9.09 percent.

In terms of volume, Access Holdings Plc recorded the highest number of traded shares with 98.6 million units valued at N2.74bn, followed by Ellah Lakes with 61.1 million shares worth N581.6m.

Others on the top five volume list included Japaul Gold (49.2m), Royal Exchange (43.8m), and Universal Insurance (32.1m).

For value traded, Access Holdings also led the pack with N2.74bn in turnover, followed by Dangote Cement, which recorded N1.3bn worth of trades from 2.7 million shares. Aradel Holdings followed closely with N1.23bn in value from 2.45 million shares, while GTCO and WAPCO rounded out the top five with trades worth N1.14bn and N1.03bn, respectively.

Across the market indices, performance remained largely positive. The Top 30 Index advanced by 0.08 per cent, the Banking Index rose by 0.44 per cent, and the Consumer Goods Index increased by 0.3 per cent.

Similarly, the Pension Index climbed 0.24 per cent, while the Oil & Gas Index and the Insurance Index recorded moderate gains of 0.21 per cent and 0.13 per cent, respectively.

Also, year-to-date, the index has appreciated by 28.79 per cent, reinforcing investor confidence despite intermittent profit-taking and bearish pressures in recent sessions.

The PUNCH reported that the Nigerian stock market extended its bullish trend on Tuesday, recording a gain of N396bn in market capitalisation amid renewed investor interest across key sectors.