NGX-ASI up 0.21% as stock investors buy Julius Berger, Oando, Eterna

Nigeria’s equities market rose by 0.21 percent on Thursday as investors interest in shares of Julius Berger, Oando and Eterna helped the market not to sustain previous day’s negative close.

The Lagos Bourse ended in the green zone, affirming analysts cautiously optimistic that it will trade positively in Thursday’s session, barring an unforeseen downturn in a large-cap counter.

Oando share price rose from N63.60 to N69.95, adding N6.35 or 9.98 percent. Julius Berger Nigeria increased from preceding trading day’s low of N156.95 to N172.60, adding N15.65 or 9.97 percent.

Also on the top gainers list is Cornerstone Insurance which rose from preceding day’s low of N2.53 to N2.78, adding 25 kobo or 9.88 percent, while Eterna moved up from N27.90 to N30.65, adding N2.75 or 9.86 percent.

The Nigerian Exchange Limited (NGX) All-Share Index (ASI) and equities market capitalisation rose from preceding trading day’s lows of 96,203.65points and N55.261 trillion respectively to 96,407.88 points and N55.378 trillion.

The year-to-date (YtD) market return increased to +28.93 percent. This week, the market has increased by 0.45 percent while this month it has decreased by 0.98 percent.

In 9,851 deals, investors exchanged 966,973,443 shares worth N7.420billion. Shares of Consolidated Hallmark Holdings, FBN Holdings, Access Holdings, Prestige Assurance and Universal Insurance were actively traded on Thursday.