The Nigerian equities market recorded a significant downturn on Monday, with the All-Share Index falling 0.84% to 241,749.11 points. Market capitalization shrunk by approximately N1.32 trillion, dropping to N155.13 trillion as profit-taking triggered widespread sell pressure across 46 stocks.
The industrial goods sector was the hardest hit, led by a 9.99% decline in BUA Cement. Other significant laggards included PZ Cussons, which fell 10%, along with notable losses in major banking stocks like FCMB Group, FBN Holdings, Zenith Bank, and GTCO. Despite the negative price movement, market activity increased, with trade volume rising 18.66% and total value traded jumping 33.39% to N22.28 billion. The market’s year-to-date return currently stands at 55.35%, with analysts attributing the sell-off to investor portfolio rebalancing.