Trading activities at the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) yesterday continued on the upbeat as more blue chip companies recorded appreciable gains leading the market capitalisation to firm up by N87 billion.

At the close of trade, the All Share Index rose by 273.17 points or 0.83 per cent from 32,411.86 recorded on Friday to 32,685.03 while market capitalisation increased by N87 billion from N10,370 trillion to N10,457 trillion.

Further analysis of yesterday's transactions showed that PZ Cussons led the bulls up with 356 kobo to close at N71.43 per share while West African Portland Company followed with 343 kobo to close at N49.36 per share. GlaxoSmithKline added 235kobo to close at N49.36 per share.

International Breweries, Guinness, Cadbury gained 227 kobo, 218 kobo and 168 kobo to close at N24.98, N294.21 and N35.28 per share respectively.

Nigerian Breweries added 168 kobo to close at N166.65 per share while UACN added 141 kobo to close at N48.51 per share.

MRS and FBN Holdings also gained 124 kobo and 108 kobo to close at N26.12 and N19.79 per share.

On the other hand, Nestle topped the losers' chart with 18.99 kobo to close at N801.00 per share. Flourmills followed with 809 kobo to close at N72.82 per share.

Dangote Cement shed 487 kobo to close at N140.00 per share.

Presco, Livestock, DN Meyer dropped 18 kobo, 12 kobo and 11 kobo to close at N26.11, N2.38 and N1.15 per share.

May&Baker shed nine kobo to close at N1.88 per share while LearnAfrica lost six kobo to close at N2.25 per share.

RT Briscoe and Cutix also lost six kobo and four kobo to close at N1.69 and N1.42 per share.

On the activity chart, the banking sub-sector dominated in volume terms with 338 million shares worth N2.1 billion in 3,199 deals, followed by the conglomerates with 70 million units valued at N166 million. The insurance sub-sector trailed with 41 million units valued at N31 million in 332 deals.

Transactions in the shares of Sterling Bank and Fidelity Bank buoyed activities in the banking sub-sector with 114 million shares and 39 million units valued at N326 million and N134 million while the conglomerates sub-sector was boosted by activities in the shares of TransNational Corporation which traded 68 million units valued at N103 million in 384 deals.

At the last count, a total of 578 million shares worth N4.4 billion in 7,740 deals were traded by investors.