INDICES

The NSE 20 Share Index today dropped 0.14 percent to 3,808.47 points from 3,814.10 points last week while the All Share Index also dropped, losing 0.23 percent to 83.48 points from 83.67 points at the close of last week.

HIGHEST VOLUMES

KCB shares were today the most traded with 7.58 million shares while second were Safaricom shares with 571,500 shares moving across the counter. Third was CIC Insurance shares with 465,100 shares traded while the fourth were Cooperative Bank with 439,800 shares across the counter. The fifth most traded shares were Barclays Bank with 422,400 shares traded.

COUNTER WATCH

• Express Kenya – The logistics company’s shares closed at their same price as Friday last week at KES 3.60. Predictions by Standard Investment Bank that Express is positioning itself for a takeover based on its rights issue price of KES 5 per new share appear to have had no effect on the share’s price today. Express Kenya shares have been trading at the year’s lowest this month touching a low of KES 3.55 on Thursday last week. Since early last year, the company has been in deep financial water since losing a distribution contract with EABL. Read more here.

• Nation Media Group – The shares edged up 1 shilling to top last week’s high and close at a new high of KES 189 last reached in 2009.  The shares have been on a rally since the media group reported a 23 percent rise in pre-tax profit to 1.37 billion shillings and growth in most of its business segments. Read more here.

• Rea Vipingo Plantations – The shares lost 5 cents to KES 16.95 per share. The shares have been trading high this month, going above KES 17 and remaining above KES 16 per share compared to range below KES 16 per share for the better part of this year.