In Q1, local investors score at Dar bourse

There has been increased local participation at the Dar es Salaam Stock Exchange. PHOTO | FILE | NATION MEDIA GROUP 

In Summary

• The bourse shows that local investors increased their buying to 28.68 per cent between October and December, from 9.85 per cent in the same quarter in 2018.
• Selling by local investors increased to 21.7 per cent at the start of this week, from 19.75 per cent in the same period under review last year

By BEATRICE MATERU
More by this Author

Local participation in the Dar es Salaam Stock Exchange (DSE) increased significantly in the last quarter of 2019 compared with last year’s performance in the same period.

The bourse shows that local investors increased their buying to 28.68 per cent between October and December, from 9.85 per cent in the same quarter in 2018, while selling by local investors increased to 21.7 per cent at the start of this week, from 19.75 per cent in the same period under review last year.

On December 17, the bourse recorded a total turnover of Tsh1.318 billion ($567,823) from 225,200 shares traded in 15 deals from domestic companies.

The Tanzania Breweries Ltd (TBL) counter had 120,000 shares on a pre-arranged market board trading at Tsh10,900 ($4.7) per share in four deals, while the CRDB counter had 93,000 shares trading at Tsh95 ($0.04) per share in eight deals.

The National Investments Company Ltd counter with 12,200 shares traded at Tsh175 ($0.07) per share in three deals.

December started with a total turnover of Tsh10.43 million ($4,493.47) from 39,866 shares traded in 24 deals, all from local companies. These included CRDB with 24,870 shares, traded at Tsh95 ($0.04) per share in six deals.

The DCB Commercial Bank counter with 12,321 shares traded at Tsh295 ($0.127) per unit in seven deals, and NMB Bank had five shares traded at Tsh2,240 ($0.96) per share in four deals.

Others are Tanzania Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture, trading as TICL, with 160 shares moving at Tsh350 ($0.15) per share in one deal.

The Twiga Cement/Tanzania Portland Cement Company Ltd counter had 2,000 shares going for Tsh2,000 ($0.86) per share in two deals, and Vodacom Tanzania had 510 shares at its counter selling for Tsh810 ($0.34) per share in four deals.

DROP IN TURNOVER

Despite the increased local participation at the bourse, the total turnover recorded from October to December was less by Tsh12.9 billion ($5.61 million) than in the same period last year.

“With 13 days remaining for the quarter to end, total turnover as of December 17 was Tsh30.003 billion ($12.925 million), which is lower than the total turnover of Tsh42.912 billion ($18.487 million) recorded from October to December 2018,” the bourse reported.

Total domestic market capitalisation decreased to Tsh9.010 billion ($3.9 million) from Tsh9.696 billion ($4.177 million) as of December 31, 2018.

According to the DSE, this was largely due to falling share prices at six out of 21 counters following pressure to sell from both local and foreign investors.

LOWER SHARE PRICES

Local companies experiencing a decline in share prices this December include Swissport Tanzania — by 37.59 per cent to Tsh1,600 ($0.689) from Tsh2,660 ($1.145) per share traded on December 17, 2018, and CRDB Bank — by 36.67 per cent to Tsh95 ($0.04) per share from Tsh150 ($0.065) per share traded on December 17, 2018.

Between December last year and now, DCB’s share price dropped by 13.24 per cent to Tsh295 ($0.127) from Tsh340 ($0.146), Nicol’s share price declined to Tsh175 ($0.076) from Tsh275 (0.12), and Yetu Microfinance Bank’s share price declined to Tsh550 ($0.23) from Tsh600 ($0.25).

Of the local companies, only the Vodacom counter experienced a slight increase in share price, up 6.25 per cent to Tsh850 ($0.36) this month compared with Tsh800 ($0.34) in December 2018.

NMB Bank’s share price remained unchanged this December, at Tsh2,340 ($1) per share.

***

CROSSLISTED

Kenyan companies cross-listed on the Dar es Salaam Stock Exchange (DSE) reported mixed results at the beginning of the month.

Kenya Airways and Uchumi struggled to interest buyers, but KCB Group, East African Breweries Ltd (EABL) and Jubilee Holdings drew interest.

Nation Media Group’s share price fluctuated and KCB’s Tanzanian branch management predicted possible “headwinds that may arise largely from economic policy uncertainty with stunted private sector growth”.