The Nairobi Securities Exchange (NSE) experienced a significant boost in trading activity on Wednesday, marking notable improvements compared to the previous trading day on Tuesday, April 8.
A total of 25,353,300 shares were traded in 2,066 deals, amounting to a market turnover of KES 377,010,597.00. This represented a remarkable 95% increase in trading volume, a 42% rise in turnover, and a modest 2% uptick in the number of deals. Despite this positive momentum in activity, the market capitalization fell to KES 1.93 trillion, signaling a bearish overall sentiment, in line with activities on global markets.
Stock Performance Review
Of the 51 listed equities that participated in Wednesday’s session, seven stocks posted gains while 39 closed in the red. Kapchorua Tea Company led the gainers with an impressive 7.14% rise, closing the day at KES 225.00 per share. Other strong performers included Limuru Tea Company, which gained 3.23%, ScanGroup at 2.67%, and Sanlam Kenya with a 1.15% increase.
On the losing side, Longhorn Publishers suffered the sharpest decline, falling by 7.33% to end at KES 2.78 per share. KCB Group followed closely with a 7.11% drop, while TPS Eastern Africa Serena and Unga Group recorded losses of 6.85% and 6.73%, respectively. Safaricom was the most actively traded stock of the day, with 7.77 million shares changing hands. Other actively traded stocks included KenGen with 4.93 million shares, Kenya Power & Lighting Company at 4.14 million shares, and Kenya Re-Insurance Corporation with 2.61 million shares.
NSE Market Index Performance.
The performance of market indices reflected the day’s bearish tone. The NSE All Share Index (NASI) dropped by 3.28 points, or 2.59%, to close at 123.60. This marks a weekly decline of 6.01% and a four-week loss of 6.48%, though the index has maintained a modest year-to-date gain of 0.1%.
The NSE 10 Share Index fell by 3.12%, recording a 7.61% weekly decline and a 3.95% year-to-date drop. The NSE 20 Share Index also dipped, shedding 2.23%, though it retains a year-to-date increase of 5.4%. Meanwhile, the NSE 25 Share Index closed 2.81% lower, marking a 6.53% weekly loss and a 2.61% year-to-date decline.
