By MICHAEL EBOH, CHINEDU IBEABUCHI & WILLIAM JIMOH

A significant improvement was recorded in transactions on the Nigerian Stock Exchange, NSE, last week, as the value of listed equities appreciated by N73.32 billion.

Specifically, value of listed equities, represented by the market capitalization and All-share index grew by 0.99 per cent.

The capitalization which opened the week at N7.414 trillion gained N73.32 billion to close at N7.487 trillion; while the index rose by 230.36 basis points to close at 23,523.16 points from 23,292.80 points at which it opened.

Nigerian Breweries Plc recorded the most share price gain, rising by 5.30 to close at N122.30 per share, from N117 per share at which it opened; Glaxo SmithKline Consumer Nigeria Plc followed with a gain of N3 to close at N28.50 per share and Unilever Nigeria Plc garnered N2.38 to close at N36.45 per share.

Other share price gainers include: Guinness Nigeria Plc N2.20, Lafarge Cement WAPCO Plc N1.22, Guaranty Trust Bank Plc N0.58, First Bank of Nigeria Plc N0.55, Zenith Bank Plc N0.45, Ashaka Cement Plc N0.45, Portland Paints and Products Plc N0.44 among others.

On the contrary, Mobil Oil Nigeria Plc recorded the most share price loss, dropping by N6.25 to close at N118.75 per share, from N125 per share at which it opened the week; Arbico Plc followed with a loss of N1.85 to close at N17.29 and Okomu Oil Palm Plc dipped by N1.79 to close at N29.60 per share.

Other share price losers include: Dangote Cement Plc N1.50, Julius Berger Nigeria Plc N1.38, Forte Oil Plc N1.29, Berger Paints Plc N0.79, Chellarams Plc N0.62, Beta Glass Company Plc N0.52, Stanbic IBTC Bank Plc N0.45 among others.

However, equity trading dipped by 43.19 per cent, as investors exchanged 930.677 million shares valued at N6.327 billion in 17,744 deals, in contrast to penultimate week’s turnover of  1.639 billion shares valued at N11.869 billion in 20,989 deals.

The Financial Services sector recorded  the highest transaction in the sectorial analysis, accounting for 70.8 per cent of the market turnover with 658.917 million shares valued at N3.746 billion in 10,381 deals. The Banking sub-sector in the Financial Services sector dominated trading in the sector, accounting for 74.85 per cent and 52.99 per cent of the sector’s turnover and total market turnover respectively.

Diamond Bank Plc recorded the highest patronage in the banking sub-sector, with  a turnover of 96.212 million shares valued at N205.07 million in 452 deals; Zenith Bank Plc followed with the exchange of 66.269 million shares valued at N904.022 million in 1,490 deals and First Bank of Nigeria Plc recorded 66.163 million shares valued at N717.216 million in 2,315 deals.

The Services sector followed on the sectorial analysis, accounting for 5.99 per cent of the total market turnover, with 55.763 million shares valued at N145..173 million in 547 deals. Ikeja Hotel Plc, in the Hotels/Lodging sub-sector dominated trading in the sector, with 16.276 million shares valued at N18.696 million in 48 deals; RT. Briscoe Plc followed with the exchange of 12.016 million shares valued at N18.359 million in 106 deals, while Tourist Company of Nigeria Plc recorded 8.86 million in 40.156 million one deal.