The Nigerian equities market staged a strong rebound on Wednesday, snapping a seven-day losing streak as bargain-hunting in blue-chip stocks fueled a broad rally across sectors.

The NGX All-Share Index (ASI) jumped 2.88 percent to close at 145,403.83 basis points, while market capitalization surged by N2.59 trillion to N92.48 trillion, reflecting renewed investor confidence and strong institutional demand.

The rebound lifted the Month-to-Date return to -5.7 percent and the Year-to-Date performance to +41.3 percent, reaffirming the market’s strong overall trajectory despite intermittent volatility.

Market sentiment was decisively positive, with 65 gainers overpowering 11 decliners, translating to a healthy market breadth.

The uptrend was driven by sharp price recoveries in bellwether stocks such as MTN Nigeria Communications Plc, Guaranty Trust Holding Company Plc, Zenith Bank Plc, and Transnational Corporation Plc.

Other major advancers included Access Holdings Plc, AXA Mansard Insurance Plc, Nigerian Breweries Plc, Oando Plc, and PZ Cussons Nigeria Plc.

On the flip side, Vitafoam Nigeria Plc, Austin Laz & Company Plc, Transpower Plc, Red Star Express Plc, and Abbey Mortgage Bank Plc topped the losers’ chart.

Sectoral performance was broadly bullish, led by the Banking Index, which rose by 7.39 percent, and the Insurance Index, which gained 6.95 percent, benefiting from renewed buying in tier-one lenders and underwriters. The Oil and Gas Index advanced by 4.11 percent, while the Consumer Goods and Industrial Goods indices climbed 2.27 percent and 0.43 percent, respectively. The Commodity Index was the lone laggard, slipping 0.03 percent .

Trading activity reflected a surge in institutional participation, with total volume traded rising 22.94 percent to 806.40 million shares, while value traded jumped 72.77 percent to N50.78 billion across 24,509 deals, representing a 17.08 percent decline in transaction count.

Guaranty Trust Holding Company Plc emerged as the most traded stock by volume with 104.78 million units, while Aradel Holdings Plc led by value at N12.91 billion, underscoring the presence of large block trades.

Analysts noted that Wednesday’s rally suggests strategic positioning by investors taking advantage of attractive entry points after recent market corrections.

“The strong rebound reflects renewed confidence in fundamentally sound stocks, especially within the banking and telecom sectors. Institutional flows indicate expectations of sustained earnings resilience and attractive valuations.”

With the market regaining momentum, traders anticipate that bullish sentiment could extend if macroeconomic indicators remain stable and corporate earnings continue to surprise on the upside.

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