The Nigerian stock market exhibited strong positive momentum on Monday, May 5, 2025, as the All-Share Index (ASI) closed the trading day with a significant gain. The ASI surged by an impressive 655.93 points, settling at 106,698.50. This represents a notable 0.62% increase compared to the previous trading session's close of 106,042.57 recorded on Friday.
Despite this robust upward trajectory in the benchmark index, the daily trading volume experienced a marginal dip of 0.70%, falling to 569 million shares from the 573 million shares traded in the preceding session.
However, the overall market capitalization reflected the positive price movements of the day, rising to N67.06 trillion across a total of 18,612 transactions. This marks an increase from the N66.6 trillion recorded in market capitalization during the previous trading day, indicating a net gain in the overall value of listed equities.
A closer look at individual stock performances reveals that BETAGLAS and TIP emerged as the top gainers for the day, registering substantial increases of 9.97% and 9.90%, respectively. Other notable gainers included CADBURY, CAVERTON, and MULTIVERSE, all posting significant upward movements in their share prices.
Conversely, the decliners' chart was led by ETI and MEYER, which recorded significant losses of 9.62% and 6.70%, respectively. CUSTODIAN, MBENEFIT, and ACCESSCORP also featured among the top losers for the day.
In terms of trading activity, FIRSTHOLDCO and GTCO dominated the market in terms of volume. FIRSTHOLDCO emerged as the most actively traded stock with a substantial 106.03 million shares exchanged. GTCO closely followed with a trading volume of 87.1 million shares. ACCESSCORP also attracted significant investor interest, with 42.9 million shares changing hands. Additionally, JAPAULGOLD and CHAMS recorded notable trading volumes of 41.2 million and 23.6 million shares, respectively.
When considering the total value of shares traded, GTCO led the market with a significant value of N5.5 billion. ARADEL followed in second place with a trading value of N3.4 billion. FIRSTHOLDCO reported a trading value of N2.6 billion, while ACCESSCORP and MTNN recorded trading values of N919.2 million and N879.8 million, respectively.
An analysis of the SWOOT (Stocks Worth Over One Trillion Naira) category revealed a mixed performance. ARADEL stood out as the top performer within this segment, soaring by an impressive 8.93%. MTNN also recorded a respectable gain of 2.35%. On the other hand, the FUGAZ (First-Generation Tier-1 Banks) category saw some downward pressure. ACCESSCORP experienced a decline of 3.88%, UBA fell by 2.59%, GTCO decreased by 0.86%, and ZENITHBANK recorded a drop of 1.16%. FIRSTHOLDCO also witnessed a slight dip of 0.40%.
Overall, the Nigerian All-Share Index has continued its upward trajectory, successfully breaching the 106,500-point threshold. Market analysts anticipate that sustained positive price movements, particularly among large and mid-cap stocks, will be crucial in maintaining the current market stability and potentially driving further gains in the near term. The day's trading activity underscores continued investor participation and a generally positive sentiment within the Nigerian equity market.