Stock market analysts are confident trading activities will bounce back in the second quarter following a pickup in trading activities on the local bourse.
The 2017 first quarter performance indicate that the stock market gained about 10 percent growth compared to the negative 4.26 percent recorded in the same period last year.
While investors of GCB Bank gained 1 cedi 64 pesewas to record the highest gains in the first quarter of this year, investors of CAL Bank were the highest losers as their stocks dropped almost 35 percent in the first quarter of this year.
With about 46 percent increase in price, GCB Bank topped the gainers for the first quarter.
It was closely followed by Benso Oil Palm Plantation and StanChart which recorded 39.42 and 26.85 percent respectively.
Also, the share prices of Ecobank Ghana, Total Petroleum and Unilever Ghana Limited increased by 14.06, 11.11 and 5.76 percent respectively.
With the exception of Unilever Ghana Limited, all the gainers for this year’s first quarter ended 2016 with losses on their share prices.
Also, of the top five gainers, only Benso Oil Palm and Unilever Ghana Limited recorded some gains in the same period last year.
An Associate, Equity Trading at UMB Stockbrokers, Kofi Busia Kyei explains to Citi Business News the reasons accounting for the performances of the listed companies that gained for the first quarter of 2017.
“Investors were taking positions quickly ahead of the expectations of the new regime. They were expecting interest rates and inflation to drop…GCB has been resilient over the years, it gained about 22.1 percent in profits…generally, the bank has been a very good company,” he said.
But investors of CAL Bank recorded the highest loss on their share prices. The banking stock declined as much as 34.67 percent.
The banking stock declined as much as 34.67 percent.
It was preceded by Tullow Oil and Produce Buying Company with 22.60 and 16.67 percent respectively.
Also, Guinness Ghana Limited, SIC Insurance and Enterprise Group recorded losses of 7.98, 1.52 and 0.42 percent respectively.
Kofi Busia Kyei further explains reasons accounting for their poor performances.
“Basically CAL Bank’s profits were down over the period down by over one hundred percent comparing 2016 and 2015…their cash and cash also went down by 80 percent; investors also look out for these indicators before making decisions.”
Meanwhile, the share prices of the remaining stocks such as HFC Bank, Ecobank Transnational Incorporated, Goil, ADB, UT Bank, Ayrton and Access Bank, remained unchanged.
Market analysts are highly optimistic of the second quarter of 2017.
They cite the new pro-business policies by the government and recent trends in interest rates as basis for their claim.
Also, the Managing Director of the Ghana Stock Exchange, Kofi Yamoah tells Citi Business News he is hopeful the market will pick up despite a bullish performance in 2015 and 2016.
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By: Pius Amihere Eduku/citibusinessnews.com/Ghana
