Equities Started Off The Week With Mixed Signals

Equities started the week by posting varied performance as indicated by the major indices on higher turnover.

This is seen as a major improvement in investor participation given that the previous week, turnover levels remained shy of the 1 billion mark.

Safaricom Limited was the highest mover in the session, accounting for 48.2 percent of market activity and closing higher in price (+1.04 percent). This is an improvement from the previous week where the Telco lost 4.00 percent in 4 sessions. All the five top movers for the day closed higher at price except Equity Group Holdings which remained unchanged at KES 36.25 per share.

Foreign participation improved to 82.03 percent in Monday’s trading compared to 71.2 percent in the previous session with most activity skewed towards SCOM as foreign investors bought into the counter after exiting the last three consecutive sessions.

The desk also bought into Jubilee Holdings Ltd (which recorded the highest outflows for the day), KCB Group Ltd and Equity.

Sell-offs were noted in East African Breweries Ltd (NSE: EABL) and Cooperative Bank of Kenya Ltd (NSE: COOP).

Bonds turnover closed 68.30 percent lower at 0.29 billion shillings on 25 deals in the session from 0.49 billion shillings on 34 deals previously.