Major African stock markets closed Thursday’s trading session on a mixed note, with sharp contrasts in performance across West, East, and Southern Africa.
While Ghana’s market suffered steep declines in activity, Nairobi recorded strong gains in both volume and turnover, while Nigeria and South Africa posted mixed outcomes.
Trading on the Ghana Stock Exchange (GSE) ended on a subdued note, with total activity plunging sharply compared with the previous session. A total of 430,781 shares were traded, representing a market value of GHS 1,016,929.80.
This performance marks an 80 per cent decline in trading volume and a 67 per cent drop in turnover compared with Wednesday, December 3, reflecting significantly weakened investor activity. Despite the slowdown, the market capitalisation of the GSE remained stable at GHS 166.3 billion.
On the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE), trading activity showed mixed signals. Investors exchanged 318,667,404 shares in 360,847 deals, with a total market value of ZAR 22.05 billion.
Compared with the previous trading day, trading volume improved slightly by 2 per cent, and the number of deals rose by 4 per cent, suggesting broader participation. However, turnover declined by 29 per cent, pointing to reduced value in executed trades. The total market capitalisation of the JSE stood at ZAR 22.8 trillion, maintaining its position as Africa’s largest exchange by value.
The Nairobi Securities Exchange (NSE) recorded one of the strongest performances of the day, driven by a surge in investor activity. A total of 25,082,777 shares were traded in 4,889 deals, with a market value of KES 797.87 million.
This represents a 168 per cent increase in trading volume and an impressive 372 per cent jump in turnover compared with the previous session, signalling renewed buying interest across several counters. The NSE’s market capitalisation closed at KES 2.86 trillion.
In Nigeria, the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) closed with mixed indicators, reflecting cautious investor sentiment. A total of 349,172,092 shares were traded in 23,348 deals, valued at NGN 12.80 billion.
Compared with Wednesday’s session, trading volume declined by 14 per cent, while turnover dropped by 17 per cent. However, the number of deals improved by 9 per cent, pointing to sustained participation through smaller transactions. The market capitalisation of the NGX stood at NGN 93.6 trillion at the close of trading.
News.ng reports that Thursday’s trading session across Africa reflected divergent investor sentiment, with strong momentum in East Africa, sharp weakness in Ghana, and mixed signals from Nigeria and South Africa.
Additionally, the mixed trading results can be attributed to differences in domestic liquidity conditions, sectoral rotations, and ongoing portfolio adjustments by institutional investors.
