In today’s trading, the NSE 20 Share Index closed at 3,678.21 points while the All Share Index closed at 84.93 points. In total, 8.72 million shares were traded today in 1,457 deals. Total share equity traded today was worth KES 117,038,050.

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HIGHEST VOLUMES

For a sixth day at the NSE, Safaricom was the most traded share today with 2.06 million shares traded from 11.91 million shares yesterday while CIC Insurance Group was the second most traded share with 1.68 million shares traded.  Kengen was the third most traded share with 1.03 million shares traded down from 2.86 million shares yesterday while the fourth most active counter was Equity Bank with 686,600 shares traded down from 1.52 million shares yesterday. The fifth most traded share was KCB with 594,700 shares traded today.

COUNTER WATCHLIST

• Diamond Trust Bank – One day after the bank’s pre-tax profit for the six months to June this year increased 34 percent to 2.16 billion shillings, the share closed today at the same price as yesterday at KES 95 per share. The bank is currently conducting a rights issue that opened two weeks ago and is set to close next week. The share has been showing fluctuating performance this month, hitting a one-year high of KES 104 per share and going as low as KES 88 per share.
• Standard Group – One day after it was officially communicated in a press release that Paul Melly has resigned as CEO of the media conglomerate, the share closed at the same price as yesterday at KES 25 per share. The press release on Mr. Melly’s resignation stated that he “…has been instrumental in the Standards Group’s dramatic business transformation, growth and positioning as a media house of growing influence.”
• NIC Bank – For the first time in just over one week, shares in one of Kenya’s fastest growing banks fell in today’s trading, losing 5.16 percent to close at KES 36.75 from KES 38.75 yesterday. On August 27^th this year, NIC will begin Kenya’s third rights issue of this year targeted to raise 2.07 billion shillings to boost the bank’s ongoing strategic expansion. The bank is currently active in Uganda (NIC Bank Uganda) and Tanzania (NIC Bank Tanzania). Stay with Pesatalk for information on the rights issue as it draws nearer.