The Nigerian Exchange closed in positive territory on Thursday as the All-Share Index rose by 0.75 per cent to settle at 106,074.26 points.

This led to a N508bn increase in the overall market capitalisation, which closed at N66.7tn.

The upward movement was primarily driven by demand in the consumer goods and industrial sectors. Nestle Nigeria led the rally, gaining 10 per cent to close at N1,100.00 per share. It was followed by Lafarge Africa (Wapco), Eterna, and Cadbury Nigeria, which also posted 10 per cent gains each. Ikeja Hotel added 10 per cent, while Vitafoam appreciated by 9.97 per cent.

On the losers’ chart, John Holt declined by 10 per cent to close at N6.30 per share, emerging as the worst-performing stock of the day. Haldane McCall fell by 9.96 per cent, Multiverse Mining and Exploration dropped 9.83 per cent, and Guinea Insurance lost 8.57 per cent.

Market activity, however, witnessed a decline in volume and turnover. A total of 328.26m shares valued at N10.37bn were exchanged in 12,142 deals. Compared to the previous session, this represents a 56 per cent drop in volume and a 43 per cent decrease in turnover. Despite the decline, the number of deals rose by 8 per cent, indicating increased trading activity.

Access Holdings recorded the highest volume of traded shares with 48.5m units, followed by Fidelity Bank with 40.4m shares. Guaranty Trust Holding Company and Chams traded 17.1m and 13.7m shares respectively.

A total of 125 listed equities participated in trading, with 44 gainers and 15 losers, reflecting broad-based positive sentiment across sectors.

Performance across key sectoral indices was also largely positive. The Top 30 Index rose by 0.74 per cent, while the Insurance Index gained 4.32 per cent. The Consumer Goods Index appreciated by 2.35 per cent, and the Industrial Index increased by 1.29 per cent. The Premium Index and the Main Board Index recorded gains of 1 per cent and 0.62 per cent, respectively.

On a broader outlook, the  All-Share Index has now posted a 1.45 per cent gain on a weekly basis, a 1.06 per cent increase over four weeks, and a 3.06 per cent year-to-date return, reinforcing investor confidence in select counters within the equities market.

On Wednesday, the Nigerian Exchange sustained its bullish trend on Tuesday, April 23, 2025, as the market capitalisation gained N342bn to close at N66.1tn, buoyed by strong investor interest across major sectors. At the close of trading, the All-Share Index rose by 565.64 points or 0.54 per cent to settle at 105,305.25 index points. This represents a one-week gain of 0.74 per cent, a four-week gain of 0.43 per cent, and a year-to-date return of 2.31 per cent.