The All-Share Index closed marginally lower by 8bps, recovering from an intraday dip, as late buying helped cushion the blow from heavyweights.
The market came under pressure primarily from Seplat, which tumbled 10% on sustained sell-side pressure and no bids, dragging overall sentiment. Additional losses in GTCO (-0.72%), Oando (-2.04%), Sterling (-2.04%), AccessCorp (-0.45%), and FirstHoldco (-0.20%) added to the drag.
However, a broadly positive market breadth helped offset the slide. Key gainers included Transcorp Hotels (+6.50%), Presco (+4.44%), Fidelity Bank (+4.86%), Honeywell Flour Mill (+9.52%), Unilever (+4.35%), Custodian (+8.74%), and Okomu Oil (+1.56%), among others.
Market turnover was strong at ₦17.2 billion (US$10.8 million), with activity dominated by trades in UBA, Nigerian Breweries, MTNN, Okomu, and Fidelity.
Year-to-date, the index has returned +8.64%. We expect a measured session tomorrow as investors position ahead of month-end flows and portfolio rebalancing.