Stock Markets March 19, 2026

Casablanca market slips as Utilities, Banking and Mining drag benchmarks lower

Moroccan All Shares retreats 1.53% as losses outnumber gains and commodity prices show mixed moves

By Maya Rios SAH
Casablanca market slips as Utilities, Banking and Mining drag benchmarks lower
SAH

Morocco's stock market closed lower on Thursday, with the Moroccan All Shares index down 1.53% as Utilities, Banking and Mining stocks led declines. Declining issues outpaced advancers by a wide margin, while oil futures rose and gold futures fell. Local currency pairs moved marginally lower against the euro and the dollar, and the US Dollar Index Futures retreated.

Key Points

  • Moroccan All Shares index closed down 1.53%, led by losses in Utilities, Banking and Mining.
  • Advancers were outnumbered by decliners 10 to 43, with 6 stocks unchanged - impacting market breadth.
  • Oil futures rose while gold futures fell; EUR/MAD and USD/MAD both declined modestly and the US Dollar Index Futures weakened.

Casablanca equities finished the session in negative territory on Thursday, with the Moroccan All Shares index losing 1.53% at the close. Market weakness was concentrated in the Utilities, Banking and Mining sectors, which were the primary contributors to the downward move.

On the winners' list among constituents of the Moroccan All Shares, Sanlam Maroc SA (CSE:SAH) posted the largest gain, rising 2.89% or 61.00 points to close at 2,173.00. Taqa Morocco SA (CSE:TQM) followed, adding 2.23% or 40.00 points to finish at 1,835.00, and Med Paper (CSE:MDP) was up 0.60% or 0.15 points to end the day at 24.95.

At the other end of the spectrum, SMI (CSE:SMI) registered the steepest loss, sliding 7.85% or 491.00 points to close at 5,760.00. Delta Holding S.A (CSE:DHO) declined 5.81% or 3.40 points to finish at 55.10, while Miniere Touissit (CSE:CMT) fell 4.69% or 150.00 points to 3,050.00.

Market breadth was tilted toward declines, with 43 stocks falling, 10 advancing and 6 ending unchanged on the Casablanca Stock Exchange.


Commodities traded with mixed signals during the session. Crude oil for May delivery rose 2.39% or 2.28 to $97.74 a barrel, and Brent oil for May delivery climbed 2.24% or 2.40 to $109.78 a barrel. By contrast, the April Gold Futures contract dropped 5.91% or 289.36 to trade at $4,606.84 a troy ounce.

In currency markets, EUR/MAD slipped 0.18% to 10.79 and USD/MAD fell 0.22% to 9.37. The US Dollar Index Futures was down 0.44% at 99.43.

The session's data highlights a market environment where sector-specific selling pressured the benchmark and broader indicators in commodities and FX moved unevenly. The balance of decliners over advancers underscores the breadth of the pullback in Casablanca on Thursday.

Risks

  • Sector concentration of losses in Utilities, Banking and Mining could amplify downside for those sectors if selling continues.
  • Volatility in commodity prices - with oil higher and gold weaker - may create uneven effects across energy-linked and resource-linked companies.
  • Currency movements - modest declines in EUR/MAD and USD/MAD and a softer US Dollar Index Futures - introduce exchange-rate uncertainty for firms with foreign-currency exposure.

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