At the end of the year 2021, the Nigerian equities market appreciated by 6.07 per cent, despite the decline recorded in the Foreign Portfolio Investments (FPI), which has major impact on the market, among other catalysts.
The benchmark index of the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) Limited, the All-Share Index (ASI), at the close the year 2021 settled at 42,716.44 basis points from 40,270.72 basis points at which it opened trading for the year.
Thus, equities investors earned N1.240 trillion as the market capitalisation for the period settled at N22.297 trillion from N21.057 trillion it recorded at the beginning of the year despite that that the stock market struggled through the first half of the year as demand from local investors cooled amidst little to no interest from foreign investors, higher inflation, a shift in central bank monetary policies, and slow economic growth.
Performance across the major sectoral indices was also positive during the period with the NGX Oil & Gas index leading with 52.52 per cent gain. NGX Premium index followed with a gain of 20.08 per cent, while NGX Pension index up by 16.96 per cent.
NGX Lotus II, NGX 30, NGX Insurance, NGX Banking and NGX Consumer Goods indices closed the year in a positive territory with a gain of 5.74 per cent, 5.01 per cent, 4.54 per cent, 3.32 per cent and 2.78 per cent, respectively. On the other hand, NGX Industrial Goods index declined by 2.15 per cent in the period under review.
However, analyses indicated that total equities market transactions moderated in 2021 compared to the value of transactions executed in the corresponding period of 2020 as weak appetite of foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) amid fears of foreign exchange volatility eroded returns on investment.
At the local local bourse, local investors dominated the market as they accumulated more shares to take position in some fundamentally sound stocks following the release of corporates’ nine months financial results which were largely positive.
“The interest of the local institutional investors in the equities space picked in Q3, 2021 following the release of corporates’ nine months financial results which were largely positive, even as it further substantiated the capacity of the companies to sustain good dividend payouts in full year, 2021,” analysts at Cowry Assets noted.
Cordros Securities Limited, in its report titled ‘Nigeria in 2022: Traversing the Murky Recovery’ said: uptick in yields dampens bullish sentiments in the period under review.
According to the report, contrary to […]
