The Nigerian equities market added 191.77 billion naira in market capitalization on Thursday, as surging demand for First HoldCo drove the benchmark index higher despite more decliners than gainers.
The All-Share Index rose 0.12% to close at 245 thousand, 209.34 points, with market capitalization reaching 158.29 trillion naira.
First HoldCo advanced 2.19% to close at N140.00, remaining the most actively traded stock by value at N5.95 billion.
Eterna led gainers, rising 10% to N36.30, while ETI recorded the steepest decline, shedding 9.99% to close at N72.10.
Market breadth stayed negative, with 35 stocks declining against 22 advancers, as trading volume fell 35.47% to 531.77 million shares.
The Banking Index led sector gains, rising 0.62%, while the Insurance Index posted the biggest sectoral drag, declining 0.93%.