In a session reminiscent of early November, the Ghana Stock Exchange (GSE) witnessed a mixed day on Thursday, with fluctuations across various equities.
As the week approaches its end, the benchmark and other notable indexes reported marginal losses, painting a diverse picture of market activities.
Among the 20 GSE-listed equities in play, only Fan Milk emerged as a gainer, experiencing a 0.66% share price appreciation. On the flip side, Ecobank Ghana found itself in the red with a notable -3.51% loss, reflecting the volatility that characterized the trading day.
Fan Milk’s Positive Momentum
Closing the trading day at GHS3.04 per share on December 14, 2023, Fan Milk (FML) demonstrated resilience in the face of the mixed market environment. This marked a 0.7% gain from its previous closing price of GHS3.02.
Fan Milk’s year-to-date performance positioned it as the eighth-best performer on the GSE, boasting a 1.33% gain since the beginning of the year.
Fan Milk also secured its position as the seventh most traded stock on the GSE over the past three months. With a total volume of 323,326 shares valued at GHS 976,507, the stock averaged 5,132 traded shares per session during this period.
Notably, Fan Milk achieved a volume high of 83,004 shares on December 14th, underscoring the heightened investor interest on that particular day.
Ecobank Ghana’s Setback
Conversely, Ecobank Ghana (EGH) experienced a challenging trading day, closing at GHS5.50 per share, reflecting a 20 pesewas drop from its previous closing price of GHS5.70. The bank began the year with a share price of GHS6.64, marking a substantial 17.2% loss in year-to-date performance, placing it 34th on the GSE.
Shareholders’ concerns are further exacerbated by the fact that EGH has seen a 21% decline in stock value from November 15 to the present date.
EGH ranked as the 10th most traded stock on the GSE over the past three months, with a total volume of 182,617 shares valued at GHS 1.02 million. Despite a volume high of 43,293 shares achieved on October 27, Ecobank Ghana faced challenges in maintaining its market value.
Meanwhile, at the close of the trading session on the GSE, a total of 343,890 shares were exchanged, amounting to a market value of GHS 2,572,707.00. The current market capitalization of the Ghana Stock Exchange stands at GHS 73.7 billion.
The top performers In terms of traded shares included MTN Ghana with 140,065 shares, Benso Oil Palm Plantation with 103,775 shares, Fan Milk with 83,004 shares, and Intravenous Infusions with 4,750 shares.
GSE Market Indices Performance
Examining the performance of GSE market indices, the benchmark GSE Composite Index (GSE-CI) saw a marginal decrease of 5.72 (-0.18%) points, closing at 3,124.88. While this represented a 1-week loss of 0.13% and a 4-week loss of 2.21%, the overall year-to-date gain remained positive at 27.86%.
The GSE Financial Stocks Index (GSE-FSI) also experienced a decline, decreasing by 0.58% to 1,907.79 points. This translated to a 1-week loss of 0.58%, a 4-week loss of 6.58%, and a year-to-date loss of 7.05%.
The mixed day at the Ghana Stock Exchange highlighted the contrasting fortunes of individual stocks, with Fan Milk emerging as a standout gainer and Ecobank Ghana grappling with notable losses. The broader market indices, while experiencing short-term fluctuations, have maintained positive year-to-date performance.
