The Nigerian Exchange (NGX) recorded a marginal uptick on Tuesday, with its All-Share Index (ASI) inching up by 0.01% to close at 149,459.11 points. This modest gain was largely propelled by a significant surge in trading volume and value, with Access Corporation Plc emerging as a key driver of investor interest. The market capitalization also saw a corresponding increase, reaching N95.28 trillion.

Investor activity was notably concentrated in banking and consumer goods stocks, reflecting a strategic focus on high-liquidity assets. Access Holdings led the trading charts, with institutional investors showing strong interest in other prominent entities such as Sterling Financial Holdings, FCMB Group, and First HoldCo. This rotation into fundamentally sound stocks underscores a cautious yet optimistic market sentiment.

Overall transactions on the exchange amounted to 1.026 billion shares, exchanged across 23,701 deals, accumulating a total value of N21.83 billion. This represents a substantial increase in both volume and value compared to the previous trading day, with volume soaring by 85.52% and value by 64.48%. However, the number of deals executed saw a decline of 18.01%.

Among the listed equities, 129 stocks participated in trading, with 31 recording gains and 26 experiencing losses. Aluminium Extrusion Industries led the advancers, surging by the maximum 10% to close at N9.35. Other notable gainers included Guinness Nigeria, which rallied by 9.98% to N263.40, and MeCure Industries and Multiverse Mining & Exploration, both posting near-limit gains of 9.95%.

Conversely, Haldane McCall experienced the steepest decline, shedding 9.93% to close at N3.72 per share. Other stocks that ended the session in the red included LivingTrust Mortgage Bank and Veritas Kapital Assurance, both falling by 9.09%, and Linkage Assurance, which closed lower reflecting profit-taking pressures.

Sector performance showed mixed results, with the NGX Insurance Index rising by 0.36% and the Consumer Goods Index advancing by 0.21%, extending its year-to-date gain to over 100%. The Pension and Premium indices also registered slight increases. However, the NGX Top 30 Index dipped by 0.08%, and the Main Board Index edged down by 0.01%, indicating selective performance across different market segments.

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Keywords: Nigerian Stock Exchange, NGX Index, Access Corp, Stock Market Nigeria, Investor Activity, Trading Volume, Banking Stocks, Consumer Goods Stocks