Botswana Stock Exchange Weekly Market Commentary

The market opened the week by recording yet another high of 1042.35 on Monday before closing the week at 1041.24. The index lost less than 0.1% on the week. BIHL broke new ground yet again as it added 5t to P11.10 on thin volume. Volumes were generally depressed across the board with MRIB trading unchanged at P1.65 on 24,500 shares. Similarly, blue chip Sechaba changed hands at last week's close of P5.30 on 62,800 shares. The market is still digesting Sechaba's three-month interim results released this week. Sefalana moved up 10t to P4.70 on thin volume. All other stocks retained the previous week's closing prices. A total of 99,481 shares changed hands for P508,723 during the week. Dual listings: Profurn traded 237 shares at P3.50 during the week. Money market: The next auction is likely to be held on 29-July-99 to coincide with the maturity of 30-July-1999. A variety of certificates are available on the secondary market with rates varying between 11.00% and 11.5% effective p.a. Anybody interested should contact Rupert McCammon or Kennedy Kgomanyane at Stockbrokers Botswana Limited for further advice. Bond market: - The BDC bond traded P300,000 nominal at 12.5% while the Investec FRN traded P200,000 nominal at 100.0 during the week. Currencies: - The Pula gained 0.2% against the Rand and 0.5% against the Pound but lost 0.8% against the US dollar.