NGX ASI Falls 0.52% To 250,808 In First Weekly Loss In Three Weeks As MTN, Banks Drag

The All-Share Index, ASI, closed the holiday-shortened week at 250,808.27, down 0.52 per cent from last Friday, its first weekly decline in three weeks, as heavyweights that led September pulled back.
Monday’s 0.21 per cent gain was the only bright spot, with the index falling in each of the remaining three sessions. Year-to-date gain now stands at 61.17 per cent.
MTN Nigeria led the decline, falling 2.67 per cent to N840.00, with almost all the damage from Wednesday’s 3.01 per cent drop, making it the week’s biggest drag.
FIRSTHOLDCO lost 4.18 per cent to N150.05 following a 6.16 per cent drop on Friday, while the banking index, NGXBNK, was down 1.33 per cent.
GTCO, which published its results earlier in the week as the first major bank to report, lost 3.07 per cent to N132.80, with Tuesday’s 3.28 per cent fall accounting for most of the loss.
ACCESSCORP shed 3.33 per cent to N30.50 despite accounting for a third of Friday’s volume, while ZENITHBANK, STANBIC and FCMB closed within a percentage point of their opening levels. FIDELITYBK bucked the trend, jumping 8.80 per cent to N23.50, while ETI and WEMABANK edged higher.
Consumer goods, NGXCNSMRGDS, fell 0.91 per cent. PZ shed 10.03 per cent to N66.40 after hitting the floor on Friday following a proposed scrip dividend announcement, UNILEVER lost 5.87 per cent to N103.50, DANGSUGAR slipped 4.23 per cent to N68.00 and NB lost 1.71 per cent to N74.70. NGXGROUP fell 8.86 per cent to N168.60.
TRANSCOHOT was the week’s standout, climbing 9.42 per cent to N290.50 on a single Tuesday move. Small caps rallied, with ABCTRANS up 45.10 per cent, CMFC surging 37.73 per cent after five straight limit-up sessions and LIVINGTRUST gaining 32.69 per cent.
Turnover slowed sharply, with 2.48 billion units worth N121.09 billion traded across four sessions, against 4.62 billion units worth N219.65 billion across five sessions last week. Offshore participation remained steady in GTCO and ZENITHBANK, broadening on Friday to UBA, DANGSUGAR, OKOMUOIL, GUINNESS and HBMNG.
