The Nigerian equities market closed Tuesday’s session with a marginal gain, as the All-Share Index (ASI) rose by 0.01 per cent to 149,459.11 points, lifting year-to-date returns to 45.21 per cent.

Market capitalisation followed suit, increasing by N13.53 billion to N95.28 trillion, supported by renewed buying interest in select large- and mid-cap stocks.

Trading activity at the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) strengthened significantly, with total volume traded surging by 85.2 per cent to 1.03 billion shares valued at N21.83 billion, executed across 23,701 deals.

Access Holdings emerged as the most actively traded stock, accounting for 385.83 million units worth N7.72 billion in turnover, leading both the volume and value charts.

The marginal advance in the benchmark index was driven largely by gains in Guinness Nigeria Plc, which appreciated by about 10.0 per cent, alongside First HoldCo Plc, which gained 4.2 per cent; Custodian Investment Plc, which rose by 7.84 per cent; and Sovereign Trust Insurance Plc, which advanced by 9.89 per cent.

These gains helped offset profit-taking in several mid-cap counters, including Champion Breweries Plc, which declined by 5.63 per cent; NEM Insurance Plc, which fell by 4.49 per cent; and Tripple Gee & Company Plc, which shed 3.75 per cent.

Sectoral performance closed mixed. The Insurance Index rose by 0.4 per cent, while the Consumer Goods Index advanced by 0.2 per cent, reflecting strong buying interest in insurance and brewery stocks. Conversely, the Banking Index dipped by 0.3 per cent, while the Industrial Goods and Oil and Gas indices each declined by 0.1 per cent.

Market breadth remained positive, underscoring mildly bullish sentiment, as 30 stocks closed higher against 26 decliners, translating to a breadth ratio of approximately 1.2 times.

Alex Industries Plc and Guinness Nigeria Plc topped the gainers’ table with 10.0 per cent appreciation apiece, while HM Capital Limited dropped by 9.9 per cent and LivingTrust Mortgage Bank Plc declined by 9.1 per cent to record the steepest losses of the session.

In the unlisted securities market, the NASD Securities Exchange rebounded, with the NASD Securities Index rising by 0.19 per cent to 3,606.02 points, while market capitalisation increased to N2.16 trillion.

Trading activity expanded sharply, as total volume surged by 306.37 per cent and transaction value jumped by 1,298.90 per cent. SDI Group Plc led the gainers with a 9.09 per cent increase, while SD NASD Plc, down by 0.67 per cent, was the session’s only decliner.

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