INDICES

At today’s trading, the NSE 20-Share Index gained for a sixth consecutive day to reach a new one-year high of 3,878.49 points closing up 0.85 percent. The NSE All Share Index meanwhile closed up 0.97 percent to 84.66 points from 83.85 points yesterday.

HIGHEST VOLUMES

Safaricom was today’s most actively traded share with 27.71 million shares moving across the counter while second was Equity Bank with 3.66 million shares traded from 2.07 million shares yesterday. Third was Kenya Commercial Bank with 2.58 million shares down from 2.19 million shares while the fourth most active share was CIC Insurance Group with 2.16 million shares down from 4.82 million shares yesterday. The fifth most traded share was Barclays Bank with 1.61 million shares traded moving across the counter.

COUNTER WATCHLIST

• Athi River Mining – One day after posting a 24 percent rise in pre-tax profit for the six months to June this year, Kenya’s second largest cement firm today closed up 2 percent to KES 205 from KES 201 yesterday.
• Barclays Bank – The bank’s shares today climbed to a new one-year high, gaining 1.05 percent to close at KES 14.40 from KES 14.25 yesterday. Commercial banks in Kenya are soon to begin announcing their financial results for the six months to June this year, and this factor seems to be driving share performance in the banking sector of the NSE.
• Safaricom – Shares in one of Africa’s largest telecommunications companies gained to their highest price since April last year, closing up 2.6 percent to close at KES 3.95 from KES 3.85 yesterday. Safaricom is one of the blue chip counters at the NSE which have rallied this month.