The Nigerian Exchange Limited opened the week on a bullish note, as the All-Share Index gained 0.31 per cent on Monday, adding N193bn to investors’ wealth.

At the close of trading, the ASI rose by 372.21 points to 121,361.87, compared to 120,989.66 in the previous session. Market capitalisation increased to N76.5tn from N76.3tn, reflecting renewed investor interest.

The positive performance was driven by price appreciation in large- and mid-cap stocks, particularly in consumer goods, banking, and insurance sectors. Investor sentiment remained upbeat ahead of the half-year earnings season.

A total of 824.1 million shares worth N14.44bn were traded in 24,042 deals. Compared to Friday, July 4, 2025, volume dropped by 11 per cent, and deals declined by six per cent, but turnover rose by 31 per cent, indicating higher-value transactions.

Market breadth closed positive with 53 gainers against 24 losers out of 125 equities traded.

Cadbury Nigeria Plc led gainers with a 10 per cent increase to N53.35. Ellah Lakes, UPDC REIT, and Tripple Gee also gained 10 per cent each, closing at N8.91, N7.15, and N2.97, respectively.

Other top gainers included Red Star Express (9.92%) and NGX Group (9.91%).

Sunu Assurances led the losers, dropping 10 per cent to N4.50. RT Briscoe fell 9.59 per cent to N3.30, and Prestige Assurance lost 9.09 per cent to N1.20.

In volume terms, Universal Insurance led with 71.9 million shares. FCMB (61.4m), Japaul Gold (53.3m), Access Holdings (42m), and AIICO Insurance (40.1m) followed.

In value, Nigerian Breweries topped with N2.39bn, followed by Zenith Bank (N1.42bn), Nestlé Nigeria (N1.23bn), GTCO (N1.02bn), and Access Holdings (N942.8m).

Most sector indices closed positive. The NGX Banking Index rose 0.94 per cent, Consumer Goods gained 0.75 per cent, Insurance advanced 0.39 per cent, the Pension Index was up 0.38 per cent, the Premium Index rose 0.34 per cent, and Top 30 gained 0.17 per cent.

Week-on-week, the ASI posted a 1.15 per cent gain, with a four-week gain of 7.61 per cent and a year-to-date return of 17.91 per cent.