By Dipo Olowookere
The first trading day of the last week of 2019 ended positive on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) after the benchmark indicators appreciated by 0.73 percent to reduce the year-to-date loss to 15.34 percent.
This consequently increased the All-Share Index (ASI) by 192.86 points to 26,609.34 points from 26,416.48 points and the market capitalisation by N93 billion to N12.846 trillion from N12.753 trillion.
Business Post observed that there were renewed interests in the acquisition of stocks at the market on Monday, leading to an improvement in the level of activity.
The volume of shares traded by investors increased by 72.04 percent to 382.8 million from 222.5 million, while the value increased by 136.39 percent to N7.2 billion from N3.0 billion.
The trades were skewed around Transcorp, which emerged as the most active stock with 138.9 million units sold for N137.3 million, while GTBank followed with 48.4 million equities worth N1.4 billion.
Access Bank traded 45.0 million shares valued at N437.6 million, UBA exchanged 39.4 million stocks worth N280.5 million, while Zenith Bank transacted 34.7million shares valued at N640.8 million.
On the price movement chart, Seplat was the day’s highest price gainer, rising by N48.30 to finish at N598 per share, while Nestle Nigeria gained N39.90 to end at N1469.90 per unit.
Nigerian Breweries went up by N1.80 to finish at N59.75 per share, Dangote Cement increased by N1.50 to settle at N141.50 per unit, while UPDC Reit appreciated by 40 kobo to close at N4.70 per share.
On the flip side, Union Bank led the losers’ chart with a price depreciation of 65 kobo to finish at N6.15 per share, while C&I Leasing crashed by 60 kobo to settle at N5.40 per unit.
Access Bank lost 20 kobo to close at N9.75 per share, Learn Africa went down by 12 kobo to trade at N1.13 per unit, while Trans-Nationwide Express depreciated by 8 kobo to quote at 92 kobo per share.
Adedapo Adesanya 
Modupe Gbadeyanka