Equities market ASI declines further by 0.33%

. Unity Bank, Fidson lead gainers

Nigerian equities extended negative trend to the fourth consecutive trading session, with continued profit taking in most sector indices.

The All Share Index (ASI) shrank by 0.33 per cent to settle at 32,302.32 points against 1.10 per cent lost on Tuesday, when the ASI closed at 32,410.20 points.

The day’s performance moderated year-to-date gains to 20.27 per cent and deepened month-to-date loss to 2.5 per cent.
Market capitalization consequently shed N36.7 billion; and closed at N11.133 trillion compared to N162 billion lost in the previous session.

Market closed with 12 gainers against 33 losers. Flourmill topped the day’s losers with a decline of 9.72 per cent to close at N23.14 per share, Neimeth came next with a decline of 8 per cent to close at 69 kobo per share.
Transcorp followed, with a loss of 6.52 per cent to close at N1.29, CI Leasing dipped 5.00 percent to close at 57 kobo per share and J Berger fell 5 per cent to close at 547 kobo per share.

Conversely, Unity Bank led the day’s gainers by 9.84 per cent to close at 67 kobo per share, while Fidson followed, with a gain of 4.80 per cent, to close at N2.84 per share, Berger added 4.53 per cent to close at N7.15 per share, Continental Reinsurance increased 4.20 per cent to close at N1.24 per share; and Skye Bank appreciated 3.03 per cent to close at 68 kobo per share.

Niger Insurance led day’s activity chart with an exchange of 62.9 million shares worth N31.5 million. FBN Holdings was next with the sale of 30.5 million shares valued at N183.7 million, while Transcorp traded 30.2 million shares worth N38.8 million. Zenith Bank exchanged 28.5 million shares valued at N575.0 million, and UBA emerged the fifth most traded stock with approximately 24 million shares worth N197.7 million.