The Nigerian Stock Exchange ended Thursday’s trading session with a market capitalisation of N59.3tn, following a gain of N306bn.

The rally was driven by performances from top gainers such as Vitafoam Nigeria, Aradel Holdings, and FTN Cocoa Processors, which spurred investor confidence across various sectors.

Data from the exchange reveals that a total of 632,741,250 shares were traded in 8,404 deals, valued at N10.81bn. This represents a 23 per cent decline in volume, a 5 per cent increase in turnover, and a 10 per cent drop in the number of deals when compared to the previous trading day.

Vitafoam Nigeria led the gainers with a 9.81 per cent increase, closing at N23.50 per share, followed by Aradel Holdings with a 9.23 per cent increase, closing at N517.00, and FTN Cocoa Processors with a 7.82 per cent increase, closing at N1.93. Sovereign Trust Insurance also saw a 6.25 per cent increase, closing at N0.68.

On the flip side, Prestige Assurance recorded the steepest loss of 10 per cent, closing at N0.81 per share. Other notable losers include Unilever Nigeria with a 9.97 per cent loss, closing at N26.65, and Austin Laz & Company with a 9.96 per cent loss, closing at N2.17. John Holt had a 9.90 per cent loss, closing at N8.92.

FBN Holdings recorded the highest trading volume with 167 million shares, followed by Haldane McCall with 119 million shares, Guinea Insurance with 41.3 million shares, and Cutix with 38.5 million shares.

The benchmark Nigerian Stock Exchange All-Share Index rose by 487.24 points, a 0.5 per cent increase, to close at 97,783.81. Despite the daily gain, the All-Share Index recorded a 1-week loss of 0.21 per cent, while marking a 4-week gain of 0.14 per cent and a year-to-date gain of 30.77 per cent.

Other indices that saw positive movement include the Top 30 Index with a 0.16 per cent increase, a 0.35 per cent decline over the past week, and a 31.8 per cent year-to-date gain, the Banking Index with a 0.74 per cent increase, a 2.08 per cent decline over the past week, and a 13.28 per cent year-to-date gain, the Main Board Index with a 0.58 per cent increase, a 0.1 per cent decline over the past week, and a 36.95 per cent year-to-date gain.

Additionally, the Premium Index with a 0.36 per cent increase, a 0.42 per cent decline over the past week, and a 27.81 per cent year-to-date gain, the Pension Index with a 0.32 per cent increase, a 0.82 per cent decline over the past week, and a 32.02 per cent year-to-date gain, and the Insurance Index with a 0.23 per cent increase, a 4.25 per cent gain over the past week, and a 54.51 per cent year-to-date gain.

The Nigerian Exchange closed bearish on Wednesday as the equity market shed N208bn in market capitalisation. At the end of the day’s trading session, the market capitalization stood at N59tn. At the same time, the All-Share Index dropped by 343.31 points, representing a 0.35 per cent decline to close at 97,296.57 points.