Profit-taking local investors raise Kenyan bourse turnover

NAIROBI, March 1 (Xinhua) -- An upswing in the number of shares traded at the Nairobi Securities Exchange (NSE) on Thursday saw turnover surge 139 percent in a session dominated by local investors.

Equity turnover stood at 19 million U.S. dollars from 97 million shares, a rise from 24 million shares worth 8 million dollars traded on Wednesday.

Local investors' participation stood at 74 percent and foreign ones' 26 percent, with the former mainly selling KenolKobil, taking profit after the stock rose to 0.16 dollars.

The NSE 20 Index rose 23.39 points to close at 3,774.04, sustaining an upward trend, while the NSE All Share Index (NASI) was up 0.22 points to end at 181.99 points.

The NSE25 Index, on the other hand, rose 26.62 points to stand at 4,590.04.

KenolKobil was the day's top mover, trading 67 million shares, followed by Safaricom with 15.2 million shares, Barclays Bank 4.4 million shares, Cooperative 3.8 million shares, and NIC Bank 1.3 million shares.

Bond turnover declined by 32 percent to stand at 23 million dollars, down from 34 million dollars on Wednesday. Enditem