The Nairobi Securities Exchange (NSE) closed Wednesday’s trading session with a slight dip in overall market activity. A total of 23,508,998 shares were traded across 4,170 deals, generating a turnover of KES 562,519,932.42. Compared to Tuesday, October 28, this reflects a 17% decline in volume and a 16% drop in turnover. However, the number of deals rose by 6%, suggesting broader participation despite reduced liquidity. The market capitalization remained stable at KES 2.88 trillion, indicating continued investor confidence in the equities market.
Out of the 55 listed equities that traded today, 25 posted gains while 23 declined, pointing to a balanced market sentiment. Unga Group led the gainers with a 6.96% rise, closing at KES 24.60 per share. Flame Tree Group Holdings followed with a 5.56% gain, while Kapchorua Tea Company and Total Kenya appreciated by 5.07% and 4.43% respectively. On the losing end, Africa Mega Agricorp recorded the steepest decline, falling by 16.43% to close at KES 58.50 per share. TPS Eastern Africa Serena dropped 9.24%, Crown Paints Kenya shed 7.8%, and BK Group declined by 4.96%.
Safaricom once again dominated trading volumes, moving 8.24 million shares. KenGen followed with 4.17 million shares, while Kenya Re-Insurance Corporation and KCB Group traded 3.35 million and 2.24 million shares respectively. These counters continued to anchor market liquidity, with Safaricom maintaining its position as the most actively traded stock.
NSE Benchmark Index Performance
Market indices showed mixed performance, with the benchmark NSE All Share Index (NASI) inching up by 0.01 points to close at 183.23. This represents a one-week gain of 2.73%, a four-week gain of 3%, and a strong year-to-date appreciation of 48.39%. The NSE 10 Share Index rose by 0.63%, bringing its weekly and year-to-date gains to 3.62% and 41.94% respectively. The NSE 25 Share Index added 0.06%, while the NSE Banking Sector Index edged up by 0.03%, showing marginal improvement. However, the NSE 20 Share Index declined by 0.18%, reflecting some pressure in select blue-chip counters.
“Wednesday’s session reflected a modest pullback in trading activity, though deal count and market breadth remained healthy. Gains in consumer and industrial stocks helped offset losses in agriculture and manufacturing, while index performance continued to signal resilience in the broader market. Investors appear to be rotating selectively, with attention on volume-heavy counters and mid-cap opportunities.” – Ivan Rimba, Market Analyst – The Trading Room.
