The Nairobi Securities Exchange (NSE) experienced a quieter trading session on Wednesday, with notable declines across key metrics. A total of 20,763,400 shares were traded in 1,905 deals, corresponding to a market value of KES 388,840,542.00. This marked a 62% drop in trading volume, a 59% reduction in turnover, and an 8% decline in the number of deals compared to the previous session on Tuesday, April 1. The NSE’s current market capitalization stands at KES 2.05 trillion, reflecting its continued stability despite reduced activity.
Equity trading showed a mix of gains and losses among the 50 listed stocks that participated in Wednesday’s trading session. Car and General Kenya emerged as the top gainer, with a 9.18% increase in share price, closing at KES 22.00. Other notable gainers included Olympia Capital Holdings (+6.91%), Unga Group (+5.98%), and Trans Century (+4.51%).
On the losing end, I&M Holdings recorded the steepest drop, with its share price falling by 8.86% to close at KES 30.35. Nairobi Business Ventures (-6.7%), Limuru Tea Company (-6.25%), and Express Kenya (-4.74%) also posted significant losses. Kenya Re-Insurance Corporation led in trading volume, with 11.2 million shares exchanged, followed by Safaricom (3.39 million), Stanbic Holdings (1.19 million), and KCB Group (948,600).
NSE Market indices reflected this mixed performance.
The benchmark NSE All Share Index (NASI) declined slightly by 0.09 points (-0.07%) to close at 131.50. This still represents a 1-week gain of 1.45%, a 4-week gain of 0.35%, and an impressive year-to-date gain of 6.49%. Other indices showed varied results, with the NSE 10 Share Index rising by 0.86%, achieving a year-to-date gain of 3.97%. The NSE 20 Share Index dropped by 0.7%, while maintaining a strong year-to-date gain of 10.69%. Similarly, the NSE 25 Share Index fell by 0.08% but still holds a year-to-date gain of 4.2%.
Today’s session highlights the dynamic nature of the NSE, with declines in trading activity balanced by gains in key indices and select equities.