By Dipo Olowookere
It was a four- day trading session this week as the Federal Government of Nigeria declared Tuesday, May 29, 2018, a public holiday to mark the Democracy Day celebration.
However, at the end of transactions in the week, the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) All-Share Index (ASI) and market capitalization depreciated by 6.38 percent to close the week at 36,816.29 points and N13.336 trillion respectively.
Similarly, all other indices finished lower with the exception of the NSE ASeM Index that closed flat.
Also during the week, a total of 25 equities appreciated in price, higher than 14 in the previous week, while 48 equities depreciated in price, lower than 61 equities of the previous week and 96 equities remained unchanged, higher than 94 equities recorded in the preceding week.
Business Post reports that the Financial Services Industry, measured by volume, led the activity chart with 2.451 billion shares valued at N78.417 billion traded in 11,403 deals; thus contributing 90.84 percent and 92.50 percent to the total equity turnover volume and value respectively with the Conglomerates Industry following with 76.845 million shares worth N126.358 million in 835 deals and the Consumer Goods industry taking the third place with a turnover of 64.437 million shares worth N4.427 billion in 3,491 deals.
Trading in the top three equities; Stanbic IBTC Holdings, Access Bank and Zenith Bank measured by volume accounted for 1.626 billion shares worth N70.285 billion in 2,882 deals, contributing 60.23 percent and 82.91 percent to the total equity turnover volume and value respectively.
In all, the market recorded a total turnover of 2.699 billion shares worth N84.775 billion in 19,715 deals were traded this week by investors in contrast to a total of 1.372 billion shares valued at N16.022 billion that exchanged hands last week in 21,099 deals.
Also traded during the week were a total of 22,080 units of Exchange Traded Products (ETPs) valued at N393,726.30 executed in 10 deals, compared with a total of 70 units valued at N1,943.00 that was transacted last week in 7 deals.
In addition, a total of 6,433 units of Federal Government valued at N6.599 million were traded this week in 12 deals, compared with a total of 10,754 units valued at N11.412 million transacted last week in 5 deals.
