The Nigerian Stock Exchange market capitalisation rose by N318bn after resuming trading following the Easter break.

The market ended the day’s session with a total market value of N65.8tn, an increase of 0.49 per cent compared to the previous trading day.

The All-Share Index has gained 1.77 per cent year-to-date, with a slight 0.17 per cent rise over the past week, but a 0.16 per cent drop in the last four weeks.

A total of 353,283,914 shares, valued at N7.2bn, were traded across 13,734 deals. While there was a 6 per cent drop in volume and a nine per cent decrease in turnover compared to the previous session, the number of deals surged by 23 per cent.

International Breweries led the gainers with a 10 per cent increase in share price, closing at N6.05 per share. Nigerian Breweries followed closely with a 9.94 per cent rise, closing at N39.80 per share.

The Initiates gained 9.89 per cent, closing at N5.00 per share, while Japaul Gold and Ventures saw a 9.79 per cent increase, closing at N2.13 per share. Cornerstone Insurance also recorded a 9.65 per cent gain, closing at N2.84 per share.

On the losing side, International Energy Insurance posted the largest decline of 9.46 per cent, closing at N1.34 per share. Secure Electronic Technology followed with an 8.93 per cent loss, closing at N0.51 per share.

University Press closed at N3.10 per share, a decrease of 8.82 per cent, and FTN Cocoa Processors dropped by 7.41 per cent, closing at N1.75 per share. CAP also recorded a 5.78 per cent loss, closing at N39.10 per share.

Notable sector performances included the Consumer Goods Index, which surged by 2.57 per cent, reflecting a positive trend in consumer-related stocks. The Banking Index also saw a 0.71 per cent rise, while the Insurance Index increased by 2.16 per cent.

The top traded stocks by volume included Access Holdings with 38.6 million shares, followed by Fidelity Bank with 34.6 million shares, Chams with 29.7 million shares, and Universal Insurance Company with 27.8 million shares.

The PUNCH reported that the Nigerian equity market suffered a setback in a holiday-shortened trading week, shedding N207bn in market capitalisation as investor sentiment remained mixed amid ongoing earnings releases and dividend declarations.