The Nigerian Exchange (NGX) closed the trading week which ended on Friday, May 23, 2025, on a mixed note as the All-Share Index (ASI) and Market Capitalization declined by 0.62% and 0.29% to 109,028.62 points and ₦68.752 trillion, respectively.
Despite the decline in the overall market performance, several equities especially in the consumer goods and insurance sectors posted double digit gains.
Last week, a total turnover of 3.932 billion shares worth N74.813 billion was traded in 105,220 deals on the Nigerian Exchange.
This showed a significant increase from the previous week’s 2.606 billion shares valued at ₦63.785 billion which exchanged hands last week in 77,593 deals.
The Financial Services sector led the activity chart, contributing over 61% of the total trading volume.
It was followed by the Services industry with 442.995 million shares worth N4.201 billion in 7,523 deals.
CUTIX PLC led the gainers pack with a 21.92% gain, closing at ₦3.17, followed by CUSTODIAN INVESTMENT PLC, which rose by 21.45% to close at ₦21.80. Other notable gainers included RED STAR EXPRESS PLC (20.90%), JOHN HOLT PLC (20.63%), and EUNISELL INTERLINKED PLC (20.47%).
The blue-chip NESTLE NIGERIA PLC made a strong showing with a 19.50% increase, ending the week at ₦1,590.50.
The insurance sector also saw positive sentiment with REGENCY ASSURANCE PLC and LINKAGE ASSURANCE PLC gaining 18.18% and 17.60%, respectively.
On the other hand, NEIMETH INTERNATIONAL PHARMACEUTICALS PLC led the decliners with a 17.03% loss, while TRANSCORP HOTELS PLC and FIDELITY BANK PLC saw declines of 15.03% and 10.34%, respectively.
On NGX sector indices performance, the Consumer Goods Index rose by 2.18%, Insurance Index by 0.73%, and Industrial Goods Index by 0.72%.
Market sentiment appeared optimistic with 52 equities appreciating, 41 declining, and 55 remaining unchanged, market sentiment appears cautiously optimistic.
Ifunanya Ikueze is an Engineer, Safety Professional, Writer, Investor, Entrepreneur and Educator.
