INDICES

The NSE All-Share Index today gained 0.88 points to close at 83.39 points from yesterday’s close of 82.51 points. The NSE 20-Share Index meanwhile closed down 158.87 points at 3,631.20 points from 3,790 points yesterday.

HIGHEST VOLUMES

Equity Bank today had the highest number of shares traded with 5.2 million shares moving across the counter. Kenya Commercial Bank like yesterday traded the second most shares, with 3.15 million shares traded today from yesterday’s 1.41 million shares. The Kenya Power & Lighting Company share was third most traded today, with 1.04 million shares moving across the counter, 120,000 less shares than yesterday’s trade volume of 1.16 million shares. Mumias Sugar Company returned to the high activity counters today from last week, with 1.04 million shares traded. Safaricom was the fifth most active counter today, trading 6.5 million shares less than yesterday with 945,000 shares traded today.

COUNTER WATCHLIST

• Athi River Mining – The share lost one Shilling to close at KES 199 from yesterday’s KES 200. It was reported in today’s Business Daily that the cement maker has made an agreement with Aldwych International, a power projects company, to install a coal-fired electricity power plant to improve gross margins and earn additional revenue streams through the sale of surplus electricity.
• East African Breweries – Today marked another five year high of KES 239 for the brewer’s share in after it gained 1.27% from yesterday’s close of KES 236. The share has been steadily gaining since Thursday last week hitting a new high at each close of trading.
• Barclays Bank – The bank’s share remained unmoved today, closing at KES 13.20 similar to yesterday. Barclays Bank Plc in London, the head of the global bank, is currently involved in scandal regarding the bank’s alleged manipulation of Libor rates. In the past two days, three of the bank’s executives have resigned according to a Bloomberg report.
• Kenya Airways – The share today lost 1.03% to close at KES 14.35 from down from yesterday’s close of KES 14.50.  Analysts expressed that KQ could face stiff competition in the airline’s planned entry into the low cost airline carrier market in Africa within this financial year, according to a report in the Business Daily.
• Eveready East Africa – The share was unmoved at today’s trading, closing at KES 1.70. The company appointed a new Non Executive – Independent director, Catherine Ngahu, according to an announcement dated ^29th June on the company’s website.
• Crown Berger – The share closed at KES 34 similar to yesterday. The company officially changed its name from Crown Berger Kenya Ltd to Crown Paints Kenya Ltd according to a letter dated 2^nd June 2012 addressed to the Nairobi Securities Exchange.
• Safaricom – The share today fell 2.74% from a one year high of KES 3.65 yesterday to close at KES 3.55 at the close trading today.