The Nigerian stock market began the week on a strong note on Monday, with investors recording a gain of N745 billion as equities extended their bullish momentum.

Nigerian Exchange Limited capitalization rose by 0.58 percent to close at N104.52 trillion, up from N103.78 trillion recorded at the previous session, reflecting renewed appetite for equities across key sectors.

The rally was driven by sustained demand for stocks, including Etranzact, Red Star Express, McNicholas, RT Briscoe, and Deap Capital Management, alongside 45 other advancing equities.

Similarly, the All-Share Index appreciated by 946.61 points, or 0.58 percent, to settle at 163,244.69, compared with 162,298.08 at the close of the previous trading session.

Market breadth closed firmly positive, with 50 gainers outweighing 20 losers, underscoring broad-based investor optimism.

Etranzact, Red Star Express, McNicholas, RT Briscoe, and Deap Capital Management led the gainers’ table, each advancing by the maximum 10 percent. They closed at N16.50, N11.55, N6.05, N3.96, and N3.30 per share, respectively.

On the losing side, Champion Breweries topped the decliners, shedding 8.51 percent to close at N15.05 per share. Eunisell Interlinked fell by 8.01 percent to N156.20, while Ikeja Hotel dropped eight percent to close at N36.80.

Guinea Insurance declined by 7.30 percent to N1.27 per share, while Omatek lost 3.13 percent to close at N1.24.

Trading activity improved significantly, with a total of 1.15 billion shares valued at N19.23 billion exchanged in 59,359 transactions. This was higher than the 624.08 million shares worth N18.5 billion traded in 43,816 deals during the previous session.

Sovereign Trust Insurance recorded the highest trading volume, with 307.47 million shares exchanged, accounting for 26.75 percent of total volume. Fidelity Bank led in value terms, with transactions worth N3.14 billion, representing 16.32 percent of total market value.