INDICES

At today’s trading, the NSE 20 Share Index dropped 1.36 percent to close at 3,825.65 points from 3,878.49 points yesterday while the All Share Index also fell, losing 1.95 percent to 84.66 points from 83.01 points.

HIGHEST VOLUMES

Equity Bank was the most traded share at the NSE today with 3.68 million shares traded from 1.52 million shares yesterday while KCB was the second most traded share with 1.73 million shares traded. The third most traded share was Safaricom with 1.50 million shares traded down from 11.91 million shares yesterday. Barclays Bank was the fourth most active share with 1.31 million shares moving across the counter while fifth was CIC Insurance Group with 1.29 million shares moving across the counter.

COUNTER WATCHLIST

• Barclays Bank – After hitting a one-year high last week, the bank’s shares lost for a fifth consecutive day in today’s trading, falling 1.06 percent to close at KES 13.95 from KES 14.10 yesterday. Barclays is expected to be announcing its half-year result for this year sometime this month. Last year, Barclays was ranked Kenya’s fourth biggest bank by asset base (Bankelele) and remains one of the fore-most banks yet to announce this year’s half-year results after Equity and KCB announced their results last week.

• Rea Vipingo Plantations – Shares in Africa’s largest sisal fibre producer today fell from their highest price this year of KES 17.20 per share to lose 0.58 percent and close at KES 17.10.  The share has been on the rise this year, gaining 31 percent since the beginning of January this year.

• NIC Bank – The bank’s shares fell once more at today’s trading to close 4.08 percent lower at KES 35.25 per share from KES 36.75 yesterday. Starting August 27^th this year, NIC will carry out Kenya’s second biggest rights issue of the year targeted to raise 2.07 billion shillings to boost the bank’s ongoing strategic expansion.

Click here for a detailed breakdown on this Rights Issue.