The Nigerian Exchange reversed previous gains on Wednesday, April 16, as investors lost N445bn following a widespread decline in banking stocks, especially Guaranty Trust Holding Company and Zenith Bank.
At the close of trading, the All-Share Index dropped by 708.14 points, representing a 0.68 per cent decline, to settle at 103,851.88 points. This downward movement also dragged the overall market capitalisation from N65.7 tn to N65.3 tn, reflecting a N445 bn loss in value.
The decline in the market was primarily driven by sharp sell-offs in top-tier banks. Guaranty Trust Holding Company recorded the worst performance on the losers’ chart with an 11.94 per cent drop to close at N59.00 per share. Zenith Bank followed closely with an 11.65 per cent dip to close at N44.00 per share. Other laggards included Industrial and Medical Gases, which fell by 10 per cent, Guinea Insurance, which dropped by 9.52 per cent, and UPDC Real Estate Investment Trust, which declined by 8.2 per cent.
Despite the bearish outing, 124 listed equities participated in the day’s trading, out of which 24 recorded gains while 21 posted losses. Abbey Mortgage Bank led the gainers’ chart with a 9.99 per cent increase to close at N8.15 per share. It was trailed by Sovereign Trust Insurance with a gain of 7.69 per cent, the Nigerian Exchange Group rose by 7.3 per cent, and Deap Capital Management and Trust appreciated by 6.67 per cent.
Market activity also showed mixed sentiments. A total of 351.66m shares valued at N13.71bn were exchanged in 12,141 deals. Compared to the previous trading day, this represented a five per cent decline in trading volume, a 26 per cent increase in turnover, and an eight per cent drop in the number of deals.
Access Holdings led in terms of volume with 68.2m shares traded, followed by GTCO with 36.8m shares, FCMB Group with 28.8m shares, and United Bank for Africa with 26.4m shares.
On the performance of key indices, the NGX Top 30 Index fell by 0.72 per cent. The NGX Oil and Gas Index slipped by 0.05 per cent, while the NGX Industrial Index was marginally flat. However, some indices posted gains: the NGX Insurance Index advanced by 0.8 per cent, the NGX Consumer Goods Index rose by 0.34 per cent, and the NGX Pension Index edged up by 0.09 per cent.
In terms of broader market performance, the NGX has recorded a one-week loss of 0.32 per cent and a four-week loss of 1.84 per cent, although it retains a modest year-to-date gain of 0.9 per cent.
On Tuesday, the Nigerian equities market rebounded, with investors recording a gain of N19bn, pushing the market capitalisation of the Nigerian Exchange to N65.7tn at the close of trading.
