After the decline recorded in major market indicators at the close of equity trading activities on the Nigerian Stock Exchange last Friday, indicators close positive on Monday.

The NSE All-Share Index rose by 396.52 basis points, or 1.5 per cent from 26,989.04 to close at 27,385.56, while the market capitalisation of the 294 listed equities increased by N90bn or 1.5 per cent to close at N6.233tn, from N6.143tn recorded last Friday.

Of the 125 stocks traded, 71 stocks appreciated, while 22 depreciated in price. The remaining 32 stocks remained unchanged.

Nestle Nigerian Plc led on the gainers‘ chart appreciating by N8 to close at N177.50 per share with a total trade of 17,642 shares, valued at N481,097 in 36 transactions.

Guinness Nigeria Plc followed on the chart, gaining N5 to close at 114 per share, while Benue Cement Company Plc and Flour Mills of Nigeria Plc gained N1.84 and N1.45 to close at N38.79 and N30.58 per share respectively.

Petroleum marketing stock, Conoil Plc, however, led on the losers’ chart, shedding N3.50 to close at N66.50 per share.

UACN Plc and UACN Property Development Company Plc also lost N1.76 and 99 kobo to close at N33.44 and N20.96 per share in that order.

The largest transaction of the day was done in the shares of Agriculture/Agro-Allied stock- Livestock Feeds Plc - with a volume of 111.025 million shares, worth N173m in 23 transactions.

The banking sub-sector drove total turnover, trading 225.546 million shares, worth N2.018bn in 5,100 deals, thus representing 37 per cent of total volume.

Activity in the sub-sector was driven by trading in the shares of Skye Bank Plc, which alone accounted for 30 per cent of the sub-sector‘s volume.

The Agriculture/Agro-Allied sub-sector followed on the activity chart, with a turnover of 112.721 million valued at N176m in 65 transactions.

Trading in the sub-sector, which was driven by the shares of Livestock Plc accounted for 17 per cent of total volume.

In the construction sub-sector, 100.005 million shares, worth N97m were exchanged by investors in 171 deals.

In all, 596.614 million shares worth N3.058bn were traded by investors in 7,864 deals.