Investor activity on the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) strengthened significantly as trading volume and value surged, even though the broader market closed marginally lower,last Friday.

A total of 1.70 billion shares valued at N52.81 billion changed hands in 49,807 deals during the trading session, reflecting a sharp increase from the 1.23 billion shares worth N38.84 billion traded in the previous session.

The heightened activity came as investors positioned in banking and other heavily traded stocks, with  emerging as the most actively traded stock by volume. The lender recorded 584.87 million shares traded, accounting for 33.99 per cent of total market turnover.

By value,  dominated transactions, with trades worth N13.95 billion, representing 26.41 per cent of the market’s total value.

Despite the robust trading activity, the market closed slightly in the red as profit-taking in selected equities weighed on performance. The All-Share Index shed 133.47 points, or 0.05 per cent, to close at 244,738.74, down from 244,852.21 recorded in the previous session.

The decline also weakened the market’s year-to-date return to 57.27 per cent, while market breadth ended on a balanced note with 32 gainers matching 32 losers.

Insurance and healthcare stocks featured prominently among the laggards.  topped the losers’ chart after shedding 10 per cent to close at N7.11 per share.  followed with an 8.51 per cent decline to N43, while  lost 8.47 per cent to settle at N4 per share.

Other notable decliners included , which fell 7.69 per cent to N11.40, and , which dropped 6.67 per cent to N12.60.

On the positive side, investors rewarded several mid-cap stocks. , ,  and  all gained the maximum 10 per cent allowed for the session. Meanwhile,  rose 9.86 per cent to close at N7.80 per share.

Market analysts said the strong turnover despite the slight decline in benchmark indices suggests investors remain actively engaged, with funds rotating across sectors as market participants continue to hunt for value opportunities.