The Nigerian Exchange sustained its upward trajectory on Wednesday, as key market indicators closed firmly in positive territory, underpinned by broad-based buying interest across major sectors.

At the close of trading, the All-Share Index advanced by 0.26 per cent to 149,842.82 points, while total market capitalisation expanded by N244.62 billion to N95.53 trillion.

The positive close lifted investor confidence, with market sentiment remaining firmly bullish. This was reflected in a market breadth, as 38 stocks recorded gains against 23 decliners.

First Holding Company Plc, LASACO Assurance Plc, Prestige Assurance Plc, Veritas Kapital Assurance Plc, and Mecure Industries Plc led the list of top gainers for the session, benefiting from sustained demand.

On the flip side, LivingTrust Mortgage Bank Plc, International Energy Insurance Plc, McNichols Plc, Omatek Ventures Plc, and Chams Holding Company Plc emerged as the worst performers, pressured by profit-taking activities.

Sectoral performance was mixed, with the Insurance index posting the strongest gain, rising by 2.02 per cent. The Banking sector followed with a robust increase of 1.43 per cent, while the Commodity index appreciated by 0.48 per cent. Consumer Goods also closed marginally higher, adding 0.08 per cent. In contrast, the Industrial Goods and Oil and Gas sectors ended the session in negative territory, declining by 0.63 per cent and 0.05 per cent, respectively.

Trading activity showed significant improvement, pointing to heightened investor participation. Total share volume surged by 890.52 per cent to 216.19 billion units, while transaction value jumped by 477.38 per cent to N5.93 billion. In addition, the number of deals executed on the exchange increased by 6.35 per cent to 25,205 transactions.

Overall, the market’s performance underscored sustained bullish sentiment, driven by sectoral rotation and renewed interest in select equities, even as pockets of profit-taking persisted in some segments of the market.

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