Ghana Equity Watch | 6 July 2015: Ghana equity markets indices and market capitalization bullish today, US$ 10 million up

Accra, Ghana (Capital Markets in Africa):- Ghana stock markets started the week bullish. The benchmark composite index surged by 6.81 points or 0.30 percent to end the day at 2,348.67, its year- to- date performance improves to 3.88 percent. At the same time, the financial Index gained 9.51 points or 0.41 percent to trade at 2,389.22 with a year-to-date return of 6.49 percent. Likewise, the market capitalization nearly added GHS 38.61 million (relative to previous trading sessions’  market cap of GHS 64,558.49) to close at GHS 64,597.10 million.

From the market activity perspective, trading activity on the stock market was thin volume wise. The total volume settle at 36.106 (a fall of about 67 percent from last Friday total volume of 109,431 shares) and total traded value was GHS 161,353 (an increase of about 53 percent compared with previous trading session value of GHS 105,228). CAL Bank recorded a volume of 11,400 (about 31.57 percent of the total volume) to value at GHS 12,540 (about 8 percent of the total traded value). Other most actively traded stocks were SIC Insurance Ghana (8,300 shares traded at GHS 1,533), Standard Chartered Bank Ghana (recorded volume of 6,650 at GHS 132,601 about 82.19 percent of total traded values of the day), ECOBANK Transnational Incorporation (volume of 4,930 valued at GHS 1,824) and Ghana Oil had 1,800 traded shares with total value of GHS 2,610). The top five most actively traded stocks by volume accounted for almost 92 percent of the total volume and about 94 percent of the total traded value.

Looking at the price movers and shakers, out of the 15 traded securities today there were 1 gainers and two losers, so the market breath today end negative. Standard Chartered Bank Ghana was the only gainer to close at GHS 19.94 after adding 2.15 percent or GHS 0.42. The two losers were, SIC Insurance Ghana with a drop of GHS 0.01 (or 5.26 percent) to end at GHS 0.18 and Ghana Commercial Bank tumbled by 0.62 percent or GHS 0.03 to conclude at GHS 4.81.

On the foreign exchange market front, the Ghanaian Cedi appreciated all the major trading currencies today. The Cedi trade at GHS 3.93 to the US dollar, GHS 6.13 to the British pound and GHS 4.35 to the Euro, by adding 6.25 percent, 6.19 percent and 6.45 percent respectively. Also, the Cedi added value against Swiss Franc and South African Rand by 6.27 percent and 7.31 percent to end at GHS 4.166 and GHS 0.32 respectively.