West Africa: Brvm Stocks Rally As Benchmark Index Posts 4 Percent Weekly Gain

The BRVM closed the week higher, marking a fifth straight session of gains as large-cap stocks drove the advance. The Composite Index rose 4.09% to 387.73 points, while the BRVM 30 gained 2.69% to 180.41 points. The BRVM Prestige added 0.91% to 155.31 points, reflecting steady demand across the regional exchange.

Market breadth was positive, with 31 stocks advancing, 15 declining and one unchanged.

Unilever Côte d'Ivoire led the rally, climbing 37.3% to 80,000 FCFA. Ecobank Group rose 20.83% to 29 FCFA, while SMB gained 16.09% to 12,770 FCFA. Sugar Coffee and Uniwax also posted double-digit gains.

On the downside, Tractafric Motors Côte d'Ivoire fell 6.9% to 4,185 FCFA, while Sicable dropped 6.8% to 3,425 FCFA. Boa Niger and Ecobank CI also closed lower.

Total market capitalization reached 14,949 billion FCFA. Trading activity remained firm, with 1.38 billion FCFA in turnover. Sonatel accounted for 250.16 million FCFA, or 18.17% of transactions.

The move confirms renewed investor appetite for BRVM equities after a period of mixed performance.

Key Takeaways

The latest advance highlights a concentration of performance in a handful of large-cap names. Unilever Côte d'Ivoire's 37.3% jump had an outsized impact on index levels, given its weight in the Composite. Sonatel, ETIT and other index heavyweights continue to anchor market capitalization growth. Year-to-date, the BRVM Composite is now trading near multi-year highs, supported by improving corporate earnings, steady dividend payouts and regional liquidity conditions. Banking and consumer names remain central to the rally, while mid-caps show more volatility, with profit-taking evident in stocks such as Sicable and Tractafric Motors. For investors, the trend suggests momentum remains intact as long as large caps hold their gains. However, the divergence between top performers and laggards indicates selectivity is becoming more important. Sustained turnover above 1 billion FCFA per session will be key to confirming the durability of the move.

Read the original article on Daba Finance.