INDICES

The NSE All-Share Index closed up 0.15 percent at 82.29 points from 82.11 points yesterday while the NSE 20-Share Index also closed up 0.15 percent at 3,802.96 points today from 3,789.33 points yesterday.

HIGHEST VOLUMES

For a second day Safaricom was the most traded share, with 6.85 million shares traded down 80,000 shares from yesterday’s 6.93 million shares. Equity Bank returned to the highest volumes this week, with 3.44 million shares traded while Kenya Commercial Bank was the third most traded share with 1.65 million shares moving across the counter. Mumias Sugar Company was the fourth most traded share with 1.01 million shares traded down 20,000 shares from yesterday’s 1.03 million shares. Co-operative Bank was fifth most traded share, with 838,800 shares traded up from 792,300 shares yesterday.

COUNTER WATCHLIST

• Bamburi Cement Ltd – Kenya’s foremost cement manufacturer today reached a new high since August last year, gaining 3.53 percent to close at Ksh 176 from Ksh 170 yesterday. The share had also closed yesterday at a new high on speculation that the company’s half-year earnings would be good, a Bloomberg report said yesterday.
• Housing Finance Co. – The mortgage lender closed down 0.32 percent today at Ksh 15.40 from Ksh 15.45 yesterday. The quarterly Hass Consult Hass Property Index released yesterday showed that house asking prices were this year up 1.9 percent from last year despite the higher mortgage rates in the same period. Housing Finance is the leading mortgage financed institution in Kenya and at last year’s end reported a 75 percent increase in pre-tax profit to Ksh 975.55 million up from Ksh 560.2 million in 2010 according to the mortgage lender’s audited financial statements and disclosures for the year ended 2011
• CFC Stanbic Holdings – The share today closed down 1.66 percent to settle at Ksh 44.50 from Ksh 45.25 yesterday. CFC Stanbic Bank, a subsidiary of CFC Stanbic Holdings has pledged to reduce the interest rate on it loans from 24 percent to 22.5 percent from August 11^th this year, Pesatalk reports.
• Co-operative Bank of Kenya – The share gained for a fourth consecutive day today, gaining 0.43 percent to close at Ksh 11.60 from Ksh 11.55 yesterday. The bank has also been one of the most active counters for a fourth consecutive day today.

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