NGX ASI closes in red

The Nigerian Exchange Group All Share Index and market capitalisation depreciated by 1.09 per cent to close last week’s trading at 43,912.64 and N23.918tn respectively.

All other indices finished lower with the exception of NGX Main Board, NGX Banking, NGX MERI Value and NGX Industrial indices, which appreciated by 0.83 per cent, 0.07 per cent, 1.21 per cent and 0.34 per cent respectively, while the NGX ASeM and NGX Growth indices closed flat.

Twenty-nine equities appreciated in price, lower than the previous week’s 33; 31 depreciated against the 29 of the previous week, while  97 remained unchanged as did 95 penultimate week.

Five hundred and ninety-eight million, eight hundred and seventeen thousand shares worth N14.234bn was traded in 15,859 deals, last week, by investors on the floor of NGX, against 938.02 million shares valued at N16.701bn that exchanged hands the week before in 15,700 deals.

The financial services industry (measured by volume) led the activity chart with 398.264 million shares valued at N2.219bn in 8,247 deals; thus contributing 66.51 per cent and 15.59 per cent to the total equity turnover volume and value respectively. The conglomerates industry followed with 37.514 million shares worth N49.503m in 393 deals. The third place was the Information and Communications Technology industry, with a turnover of 30.708 million shares worth N8.383bn in 1,218 deals.

Trading in the top three equities namely Mutual Benefits Assurance, Sterling Bank and Fidelity Bank (measured by volume) accounted for 181.347 million shares worth N248.92m in 854 deals, contributing 30.28 per cent and 1.75 per cent to the total equity turnover volume and value respectively.

Also, last week, 6,744 units valued at N1.725m were traded in 26 deals against the previous week’s 6,524 units worth N458,786.20 in 20 deals.

A total of 1,963 units valued at N1.736m were traded last week in six deals compared with 14,672 units valued at N14.269m transacted penultimate week in eight deals.