Equities rise on GSE as financial stocks lift indices

Equities on the Ghana Stock Exchange (GSE) closed higher, as gains in selected financial and consumer counters lifted the benchmark indices and reflected renewed investor interest in key stocks.

The GSE Composite Index (GSE-CI) advanced by 27.72 points, representing a 0.31 per cent rise, to settle at 9,051.33 points. 

The uptick pushed the market’s year-to-date return to 3.21 per cent, underpinned by price movements in a small group of equities that provided direction for the broader market.

The GSE Financial Stocks Index (GSE-FSI) posted stronger growth, rising by 0.74 per cent to close at 4,991.81 points. 

This extended its year-to-date return to 7.42 per cent and highlighted continued investor positioning in banking sector equities that have supported recent market performance.

Market capitalisation increased to GH¢180.58 billion from GH¢180.07 billion recorded in the previous trading session, mirroring the positive movement in equity prices.

Analysts indicated that the improvement signalled cautious confidence among investors despite the narrow distribution of price gains across the market. One market observer said the session showed continued selectivity in trading patterns.

“The session indicated that investors had focused on a few fundamentally strong counters, which had helped sustain the upward direction of the indices even though activity had not been broad-based,” he said.

Trading activity strengthened considerably during the session, with the total volume of shares exchanged rising by 34.73 per cent to 35.43 million. 

The value of transactions also climbed by 40.53 per cent to GH¢156.76 million, reflecting increased participation.

Trading activity

Gains were concentrated among a limited number of stocks. Société Générale Ghana led the advancers, with its share price increasing by GH¢0.50 to close at GH¢5.50.

Guinness Ghana Breweries Limited followed with a gain of GH¢0.49 to end trading at GH¢8.39, while GCB Bank registered a marginal increase of GH¢0.01 to close at GH¢22.37. 

No listed equities recorded price declines, and the rest of the counters remained unchanged.

Market participants said the pattern pointed to cautious accumulation rather than aggressive repositioning. Another analyst noted that investors were still weighing macroeconomic signals while maintaining exposure to established equities.

“The concentration of gains suggested investors had remained careful in their allocations, and the absence of decliners showed that sentiment had stayed stable across the market,” she said.

Turnover was dominated by the telecommunications sector, with MTN Ghana accounting for about 92.9 per cent of total market activity. The stock recorded a traded value of GH¢145.61 million from a volume of 34.67 million shares.

Sector dominance

GCB Bank followed with GH¢10.45 million in value traded, while additional activity was recorded in Fan Milk Limited, Société Générale Ghana and CAL Bank.

The dominance of a single equity in turnover highlighted the influence of large capitalisation stocks on overall liquidity levels. Market watchers noted that such concentration remained typical in sessions where institutional trades shaped volumes.

Overall, the session reflected selective investor participation, with improved liquidity supporting index performance despite limited price movement across the wider market. 

Analysts maintained that sustained breadth in trading would be required to reinforce momentum in the coming sessions.