Local market witnesses heavy trading during the week

The local stock market was characterized by a gain in indices amid heavy trading. The SEM-ASI and the SEMTRI-ASI gained 0.5% at the end of the days under review (27 March - 3 April 2017).

The local stock market was characterized by heavy trading during the week in a market environment which saw the indices evolving in positive territory. Some 37 million shares were exchanged for a total value of Rs 768.9 million and the top five trading securities were New Mauritius Hotels Ltd (NMHL), MCB Group Ltd (MCBG), Air Mauritius Ltd (AIRM), SBM Holdings Ltd (SBMH) and POLICY Ltd (POL). They were exchanged for a total value of Rs 541.4 million, Rs 99 million, Rs 30.5 million, Rs 20.7 million and Rs 10.8 million respectively. The shares of NMHL, MCBG, AIRM, SBMH and POL closed at Rs 21.00, Rs 223.50, Rs 14.50, Rs 7.12 and Rs 6.16 respectively on Monday 3^rd April 2017.

The Total Return Index, SEMTRI, ended the session of Monday 3^rd April 2017 at 6,761.69 points, growing by 42.76 points during the week. The SEMDEX closed the same session at 1,935.97 points, gaining 0.64% during the same period. The SEM-ASI and the SEMTRI-ASI closed the session of Monday at 1,922.83 points and 6,672.97 points respectively. The SEM-10 Index, which comprises the ten largest and most liquid stocks, closed at 372.45 points. The SEM sustainability index, SEMSI, ended the same day at 102.57 points. The total market capitalisation of the SEM-ASI constituents stood at Rs 358.89 billion at market close on Monday.

An analysis of the evolution of the prices of listed stocks indicates that out of the 64 stocks figuring on the Official List, 14 moved up during the week, 42 remained stable and 8 went down. The best performing stocks for the week were: BlueLife Ltd (+5.02%), Lottotech Ltd (+3.45), IBL Ltd (+3.23%), Fincorp Investment Ltd (+2.59%) and SBM Holdings Ltd (+1.71%). The worst performers were: Mauritius Oil Refineries Ltd (-1.79%), Caudan Development Ltd (-1.01%), Sanlam Africa Core Real Estate Investments Ltd (-0.52%), LUX* Island Resorts Ltd (-0.43%) and Omnicane Ltd (-0.41%).

On the Development & Enterprise Market (DEM), at market close on Monday, the two indices, the DEMEX and the DEMTRI, closed at 210.08 points and 276.25 points respectively. Market capitalisation stood at Rs 48.89 billion. A total volume of 1.6 million shares for a total value of Rs 22.2 million has been traded during the week. The ten best performers in terms of annualised return since listing are: ABC Banking Corporation Ltd, Margarine Industries Ltd, United Bus Service Ltd, Associated Commercial Ltd, Swan Life Ltd, Phoenix Investment Company Ltd, ABC Motors Ltd, Livestock Feed Ltd (O), Les Moulins de la Concorde Ltd and Morning Light Ltd. The total return varies from 19.54% to 46.45%.

On the international front, the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the NASDAQ went up 0.32% and 1.42% respectively during the week. In Europe, Germany DAX and France CAC-40 registered a gain of 2.06% and 2.02% respectively whilst London FTSE lost 0.19% during the same time frame.

The following data highlights the ten best performing stocks in terms of annualised total returns since their listing on the stock exchange.