Transactions on the Nigerian Stock Exchange closed on a negative note on Wednesday, as the market reversed previous gains, recording a decline of 0.29 per cent.

The All-Share Index shed 301.64 points, closing at 102,836.13 points, down from the previous close of 103,137.99 points. The market capitalisation closed at N63.147tn, reflecting a loss of N185bn from the previous session.

A total of 394,815,193 units of shares were traded in 10,766 deals, with a value of N15.16bn. The day’s data shows a 10 per cent decline in volume, a 75 per cent improvement in turnover, but an 18 per cent decline in deals.

The market breadth ended flat as the number of gainers equalled the number of losers. A total of 24 equities gained, while 24 equities declined in share prices. This balance indicates mixed sentiment among investors, with several stocks seeing positive movements despite the overall market decline.

Among the top gainers, SCOA led with a 9.70 per cent increase, rising from N2.99 to N3.28. Cadbury followed closely with a 9.65 per cent gain, moving from N22.80 to N25.00. Secure Electronic Technology saw a 9.59 per cent rise, moving from N0.73 to N0.80, while C&I Leasing Plc gained 5.85 per cent, from N4.10 to N4.34. FTN Cocoa Processors also recorded a gain of 5.41 per cent, rising from N1.85 to N1.95.

On the other hand, Multiverse Mining & Exploration saw the largest loss, dropping 9.87 per cent from N11.15 to N10.05. Maybank followed closely with a 9.78 per cent decrease, falling from N9.20 to N8.30. Prestige declined by 7.69 per cent, moving from N1.43 to N1.32, while Guinea Insurance lost 7.45 per cent, dropping from N0.94 to N0.87. Red Star Express rounded off the top losers with a 4.75 per cent drop, falling from N5.05 to N4.81.

In terms of volume, Access Holdings led the pack with 91,991,825 shares traded, valued at N2.24bn. UBA followed with 27,006,478 shares traded, worth N919.31m, while Sterling Bank traded 22,971,132 shares, valued at N124.14m. Aiico Insurance recorded 17,917,935 shares traded, with a value of N31.69m, and Zenith Bank had 16,981,467 shares traded, valued at N802.24m.

Geregu topped the list of stocks with the highest value, recording a total of 5,002,611 shares traded, valued at N5.18bn. Access Holdings followed with a value of N2.24bn from 91,991,825 shares, while Aradel traded 2,244,596 shares worth N1.22bn. UBA’s value stood at N919.31m from 27,006,478 shares, and Zenith Bank recorded N802.24m from 16,981,467 shares.

Other indices had mixed performances, with the Banking Index showing a positive year-to-date gain of 3.89 per cent. On the other hand, the Oil & Gas Index and the Industrial Index posted losses of 2.2 per cent and 8.13 per cent, respectively, YTD.

The PUNCH reported that investors on the Nigerian Exchange recorded a gain of N471.37bn at the end of Tuesday’s trading session as the market capitalisation rose to N63.3tn. The All Share Index advanced by 0.75 per cent, adding 767.63 points to close at 103,137.99.