The Nigerian Exchange gained N257bn in market capitalisation on Thursday,  as investors showed renewed interest in consumer goods and industrial stocks, led by Nestle Nigeria, Honeywell Flour Mill, and Beta Glass.

At the close of trading, the market capitalisation rose to N68.8tn, up from N68.54tn recorded at the previous session. Similarly, the All-Share Index appreciated by 408.31 points, representing a 0.37 per cent increase to close at 109,467.64 basis points.

The day’s performance was driven by gains in blue-chip stocks, with Nestle Nigeria topping the gainers’ chart. The stock appreciated by 10 per cent to close at N1,331.00 per share. It was followed by Honeywell Flour Mill, which also gained 10 per cent to settle at N16.50, and Beta Glass, which rose by 9.98 per cent to N213.70 per share.

Other notable gainers included NPF Microfinance Bank, which increased by 9.81 per cent to close at N2.35, and Neimeth Pharmaceuticals, which added 9.77 per cent to end the day at N3.37.

On the losers’ side, Multiverse Mining & Exploration led with a 9.64 per cent decline to N8.90 per share. Wapic Insurance shed 4.74 per cent to N2.01, Lasaco Assurance dropped 4.53 per cent to N2.32, while May & Baker Nigeria fell by 3.82 per cent to N12.60.

In terms of activity, investors traded 729.88 million shares worth N13.88bn in 14,743 deals, representing a 37 per cent increase in volume and a 30 per cent decline in turnover compared to the previous session.

FCMB Group led the volume chart with 273 million shares exchanged, followed by Fidelity Bank with 43.5 million shares, Caverton Offshore Support with 35.1 million shares, and Aiico Insurance with 33.9 million shares traded.

Sectoral indices closed in the green, with the Consumer Goods Index recording the highest gain of 1.16 per cent. The Top 30 Index rose by 0.39 per cent, while the Main Board Index appreciated by 0.49 per cent. The Pension Index gained 0.29 per cent, the Banking Index rose by 0.2 per cent, and the Industrial Index inched up by 0.18 per cent.

The PUNCH reported that the Nigerian Exchange Limited recorded a bullish trading session on Wednesday, as investors gained N186bn in market capitalisation, driven by buying interest in major consumer goods, banking, and oil and gas stocks.