Local market witnesses heavy trading during the week
Share
The local stock market was characterized by heavy trading during the week under review (28 January - 4 February 2013). Shares worth Rs 395.4 million were exchanged in a market environment that saw the market indices register important gains.
The total return index, SEMTRI, gained 44.94 points during the week, closing at 5,595.84 points. On a year-to-date basis, the SEMTRI has achieved a growth of 4.32%. The All-share index, SEMDEX, closed at 1,805.63 points against 1,791.13 points last Monday. Since the beginning of 2013, the SEMDEX recorded a growth of 4.25%. The SEM-7 index, which comprises the seven largest and most liquid stocks, closed at 353.14 points on Monday. At market close on that day, market capitalisation reached Rs 182.46 billion. Foreign investors’ exposure to the local market in terms of net investment (purchases-sales) since the beginning of 2013 amounted to Rs 147.8 million.
The top five traded securities for the week are: The Mauritius Commercial Bank Ltd (MCB), New Mauritius Hotels Ltd (NMHL), Alteo Ltd, Omnicane Ltd and State Bank of Mauritius Ltd (SBM). Their shares were exchanged for a total value of Rs 217.4 million, Rs 40.4 million, Rs 22 million, Rs 20 million and Rs 11.2 million, respectively, during this time frame. The shares of MCB, NMHL, Alteo, Omnicane and SBM closed at Rs 180, Rs 71, Rs 33, Rs 77 and Rs 93, respectively, on Monday 4th February 2013.
An analysis of the evolution of the prices of listed stocks indicates that out of the 43 stocks figuring on the Official List, 16 moved up during the week, 18 remained stable and 9 went down. The best performing stocks for the week were: Air Mauritius Ltd (+8.66%), Le Meritt Holdings Ltd (+7.56%), United Basalt Products Ltd (+5.32%), Lux Island Resorts Ltd (+3.66%) and New Mauritius Hotels Ltd (+3.65%). The worst performers were: Omnicane Ltd (-2.53%), Terra Mauricia Ltd (-2.51%), Bramer Banking Corporation Ltd (-1.35%), Rogers & Co Ltd (-1.18%) and United Docks Ltd (-0.75%).
The following data highlights the ten best performing stocks in terms of total return since the beginning of 2013.
Companies | Total Return since beginning of 2013 |
Air Mauritius Ltd | 36.63% |
New Mauritius Hotels Ltd | 25.64% |
Rogers & Co. Ltd | 12.75% |
Harel Mallac Ltd | 11.50% |
Fincorp Investment Ltd | 9.32% |
Promotion and Development Ltd | 7.21% |
United Basalt Products Ltd | 6.45% |
The Mauritius Development Investment Trust Co. Ltd | 6.38% |
ENL Commercial Ltd | 5.74% |
The Mauritius Commercial Bank Ltd | 5.26% |
On the Development & Enterprise Market (DEM), at market close on Monday, the two indices, the DEMEX and the DEMTRI, closed at 149.52 points and 176.42 points, respectively. Market capitalization stood at Rs 44.61 billion. A total volume of 1.5 million shares for a total value of Rs 21 million has been traded during the week. The ten best performing stocks in terms of total returns since the beginning of 2013 are: RHT Holding Ltd, COVIFRA Ltée, ENL Investment Ltd, Les Gaz Industriels Ltée, Les Moulins de la Concorde Ltée (O), The Union Sugar Estates Ltd, Tropical Paradise Co Ltd, SODIA, Livestock Feed Ltd (Ordinary) and Deep River Investment Ltd. The total return varies from 5.65% to 28%.
On the international front, financial markets ended the week on a mixed note. For the week, the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the NASDAQ Composite index went up 0.82 per cent and 0.93 per cent, respectively. In Europe, Germany’s DAX and France CAC 40 lost 0.31 per cent and 0.12 per cent, respectively, whilst Britain’s FTSE gained 1 per cent during the week.
