Despite the relatively active market experienced earlier in the week that ended March 13, 2012 in the Over-the-Counter (OTC) bond market, only 23.08 per cent of the available FGN bond was traded down from 30.77 per cent transacted the previous week.

In specific terms, only six out of the 28 FGN available bonds were traded as against the eight transacted in the previous week.

The overall transaction recorded by the OTC bond market was 62.32 milion units valued at N51.93 billion exchanged in 472 deals during the review week down from 129.63 million units worth N111.73 billion recorded in 803 transactions in the proceeding week according to the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) weekly report.

In volume terms, the most active bond during the week was the 7.00 per cent FGN October 2019 (the sixth FGN bond 2019 series one) which recorded a traded volume of 13.07 million units valued at N9.67 billion in 91 trades.

The 16.39 per cent FGN January 2022which is the 9th FGN Bout 2022 series one emerged second having recorded a turnover of 13.07 million units valued at N14.20 billion in 96 deals.

The treasury bills market witnessed a primary auction in which N40.79 billion worth 91 day was sold at the rate of 14.00 per cent while N90.01 billion and N80.00 billion worth 182 day and 364 day were sold at the rates of 14.04 per cent and 15.07 per cent respectively during the last auction which Wednesday 11, 2012.

Meanwhile, in the equities market the NSE All-Share-Index dipped by 0.95 per cent to finish at 20,743.16 basis points while the market capitalisation of listed equities depreciated from N6.641 trillion to N6.615 million.

The NSE – 30 Index dropped 8.40 points or 0.88 per cent to close at 947.79, but the NSE Insurance Index inched by 0.59 per cent or 0.74 points to close the week at 126.66.

The NSE Banking Index plunged by 2.38 per cent or 6.97 points to end at 286.00 even as the NSE consumer Goods Index shed 13.71 points or 0.81 per cent to close at 1,688.04.

The NSE Oil /Gas was also on the down side as it depreciated by 10.31 points or 5.24 per cent to finish at 186.33.

The Equities Market, in all, recorded a turnover of 1.582 billion units of shares valued at N7.859 billion exchanged by investors in 14,492 trades in contrast to a transaction volume in 15,027 deals at the value of N7.796 billion in the previous week.

A breakdown shows that the financial services sector of the market accounted for 782.146 million units of shares at the cost of N4.681 bilion bought by investors in 8,308 transactions.

It was followed by the conglomerates sector with a recorded volume of 647.095 million units of shares valued at N517.21 million transacted in 400 trades.

According to the NSE report the Banking subsector of the financial service sector was the most active during the review week having traded 666.097 million units of shares worth N4.525 billion in 7,900 deals volume in the banking subsector was largely driven by activities in the shares of Unity Bank Plc, Zenith Bank Plc, and Guaranty Trust Bank Plc.

Trading in the shares of the three banks accounted for 306.529 million units shares representing 46.02 per cent, 39.19 per cent and 19.37 per cent of the turnover recorded by the subsector, sector and total turnover for the week respectively.

Boosted by activity in the shares, of Transactional Corporation of Nigeria Plc, the Diversified Industries Subsector of the conglomerates sector followed on the week’s activity chart with a recorded subsector turnover of 640.49 million units of shares exchanged by investors in 210 transactions at N320.878 million.

Vivian-Peace Nwinaene