The NSE All-Share Index closed up 0.06 points after declining the past two days, to settle at 82.17 points today up from 82.11 points yesterday while the NSE 20-Share Index was also up after losing the past two days. The Index closed up 8.07 points at 3,797.40 points up from 3,789.33 points yesterday.

HIGHEST VOLUMES

Safaricom was the most active counter for a second day today, with 6.16 million shares traded down from 6.93 million shares yesterday. Kenya Commercial Bank was the second most traded share with 3.78 million shares traded while third was Co-operative Bank with 2.5 million shares up from 792,300 shares yesterday. Mumias Sugar Company was the fourth most active counter with 1.81 million shares traded up from 1.03 million shares yesterday and fifth was Equity Bank with 894,200 shares traded.

 COUNTER WATCHLIST

• B.O.C Kenya – The supplier of industrial and medical gases today dropped from yesterday’s one-year high of Ksh 130, losing 4.62 percent to close at Ksh 124. The company’s net profits for the year ended December last year rose 87.4 percent to 214.9 million shillings  while Earnings per share rose to 7.71 shillings from 4.06 shillings in 2010 (Reuters).
• Barclays Bank – The share today topped yesterday’s one-month high, closing 0.73 percent higher to reach Ksh 13.75 from Ksh 13.65 yesterday. Yesterday’s gains were due speculation that the Bank’s lowered lending rates could boost demand for loans, a news report by Bloomberg said. On Friday last week, Barclays Bank Regional Managing Director Adan Mohamed confirmed that the bank will cut its base lending rate by 1.5 percent to 21 percent down from 22.5 percent from the beginning of next month, Pesatalk reported.
• East African Portland Cement – The cement manufacturer was today a top loser, declining 4.27 percent to close at Ksh 56.00 from Ksh 58.50 yesterday. The company’s Managing Director is searching for six new executives to fill in key company positions to support the company’s path to recovery, the Business Daily reported today.
• British American Tobacco – The cigarette maker today fell for a third consecutive day, losing 0.28 percent to close at Ksh 362 from Ksh 363 yesterday. The share reached five-year high of KES 382 on Thursday last week.