Nestle leads gainers on Exchange, index up by 0.1%

Operators, media urged to leverage technology for improved performance
The Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) All-share index appreciated marginally by 0.1 per cent at the end of yesterday’s transactions, from 35,306.09 recorded on Tuesday to 35,358.57.

However, its market capitalisation remained at steady at N12.171trillion.

The Managing Director, Highcap Securities, David Adonri, attributed the market capitalisation trend to forces of demand and supply.

“I think the trend in market capitalisation is caused by lack of finance due to the public holiday. No reasonable transactions were done, but the market will pick up within the week. There is no price sensitive information that has come to the market to warrant panic; it is just the forces of demand and supply.”

Nestle Nigeria led the gainers’ chart 5.05 kobo to close at N1220.02 per share. Following Nestle yesterday was Total Oil, adding 4.50 kobo to close at N239.50 per share.

International Breweries gained 1.00kobo to close at N38.00 per share. National Salt Company of Nigeria gained 0.60 kobo to close at N12.62 per share. Stanbic IBTC appreciated by 0.49 kobo to close at N40.50 per share.

Zenith Bank added 0.39 kobo to close at N24.40 per share. Cadbury garnered 0.34 kobo to close at N10.80 per share. C&I Leasing added 0.17 kobo to close at N1.96 per share.

UAC Properties appreciated by 0.13 kobo to close at N2.85 per share. Vitafoam also gained 0.12 kobo to close at N2.63 per share.

On the other hand, MRS topped the losers’ chart with N1.59 kobo to close at N30.39 per share, while Dangote Sugar Refinery followed with 0.46 kobo to close at N13.47 per share.

Nigerian Breweries lost 0.40 kobo to close at N161.60 per share. FBN Holdings shed 0.16kobo to close at N5.61 per share. Custodian & Allied Insurance and Ecobank TransNational Incorporated depreciated by 0.10 kobo each to close at N3.50 and N17.10 per share respectively.

Union Bank of Nigeria lost 0.09 kobo to close at N5.90 per share. Continental Reinsurance, and Eterna Oil dropped 0.07 kobo each to close at N1.43 and N3.39 per share respectively.

Dangote Flourmills shed 0.06 kobo to close at N6.34 per share. Learn Africa, Fidelity Bank, May& Baker, and Fidson lost 0.03 kobo each to close at N0.76, N1.33, N2.60, and N3.49 per share respectively.

United Bank of Nigeria was investors’ delight in volume terms with 25 million shares worth N277million followed by FBN Holdings with 23 million units valued at N133million.

Zenith Bank traded 17 million shares worth N423million. Access Bank exchanged 17.2 million units valued at N165million. Guaranty Trust Bank also accounted for 16 million shares worth N658million.

In all, investors exchanged 174 million shares valued at N2.7billion in 3599 deals.

Meanwhile, the NSE has urged market operators and the media to leverage technology for improved productivity, to keep abreast of developing trends.

Speaking on the role of the media in market data at the NSE Data Workshop 2017, its Chief Executive Officer, Oscar Onyema, said: “Leveraging on the strides achieved in the maiden edition held in 2016, this year’s NSE Market Data workshop has been designed to provide participants with more insights into the importance of Market Data in making robust and informed investment decisions. Market Data, the by-product of activities on the platform of the Exchange, remains a key ingredient for investment endeavours.

“We intend to leverage this workshop to intimate you of new data products that will complement our existing list of non-display products, which cut across real time, reference and thematic datasets. These are designed to help unleash your creative juices and take advantage of emerging technologies such as cloud, analytics, algorithmic trading and artificial intelligence to name a few.”

Also speaking, NSE’s Executive Director, Market Operations & Technology, Ade Bajomo, said: “Since the launch of X-GEN in 2013, one of the mandates of the Exchange has been to make the market more accessible, using technology as an enabler. This was achieved with the introduction of FIX protocol as the conduit to open up instant access of the Nigerian bourse to investors, media, government, software vendors, and other capital market stakeholders. X-GEN has further accelerated financial inclusion as well as enhance investor’s participation in the capital market through initiatives like ‘Trade Smart’, for investors to trade on-the-go and at their convenience.”