Olufemi Adeyemi 

On Wednesday, trading on the Nigerian Stock Exchange ended with a downward movement, negating previous gains and leading to a decrease of 0.29 percent.

The All-Share Index fell by 301.64 points, closing at 102,836.13 points, a drop from the previous close of 103,137.99 points. The market capitalization was recorded at N63.147 trillion, indicating a loss of N185 billion from the prior session.

A total of 394,815,193 shares were exchanged across 10,766 transactions, with a total value of N15.16 billion. The day's statistics indicate a 10 percent drop in trading volume, a 75 percent increase in turnover, and an 18 percent reduction in the number of deals.

Market breadth remained neutral, with an equal number of gainers and losers. Specifically, 24 stocks experienced price increases, while 24 stocks saw declines. This equilibrium suggests a mixed sentiment among investors, as several stocks posted gains despite the overall market downturn.

Leading the gainers, SCOA recorded a 9.70 percent rise, climbing from N2.99 to N3.28. Cadbury followed with a 9.65 percent increase, moving from N22.80 to N25.00. Secure Electronic Technology experienced a 9.59 percent gain, rising from N0.73 to N0.80, while C&I Leasing Plc saw a 5.85 percent increase, from N4.10 to N4.34. FTN Cocoa Processors also noted a 5.41 percent rise, moving from N1.85 to N1.95.

Conversely, Multiverse Mining & Exploration faced the steepest decline, dropping 9.87 percent from N11.15 to N10.05. Maybank followed closely with a 9.78 percent decrease, falling from N9.20 to N8.30. Prestige saw a 7.69 percent decline, moving from N1.43 to N1.32, while Guinea Insurance lost 7.45 percent, dropping from N0.94 to N0.87. Red Star Express completed the list of top losers with a 4.75 percent decrease, falling from N5.05 to N4.81.

Access Holdings led the trading volume with 91,991,825 shares exchanged, amounting to N2.24 billion. UBA followed with 27,006,478 shares traded, valued at N919.31 million, while Sterling Bank saw 22,971,132 shares traded, worth N124.14 million. Aiico Insurance reported 17,917,935 shares traded, totaling N31.69 million, and Zenith Bank had 16,981,467 shares exchanged, valued at N802.24 million.

In terms of value, Geregu was at the forefront, with 5,002,611 shares traded for a total of N5.18 billion. Access Holdings was next, contributing N2.24 billion from its 91,991,825 shares, while Aradel traded 2,244,596 shares worth N1.22 billion. UBA's trading value reached N919.31 million from 27,006,478 shares, and Zenith Bank recorded N802.24 million from 16,981,467 shares.

Market indices exhibited diverse performance; the Banking Index registered a 3.89 percent year-to-date gain. Conversely, the Oil & Gas and Industrial Indices recorded year-to-date losses of 2.2 percent and 8.13 percent, respectively.

The Nigerian Exchange concluded Tuesday's trading session with a market capitalization increase of N471.37 billion, reaching a total of N63.3 trillion. The All-Share Index experienced a 0.75 percent rise, adding 767.63 points to close at 103,137.99.