Market close overview
Stocks in Morocco finished slightly lower at the end of trading on Wednesday, with sector-level weakness in Utilities, Banking and Mining contributing to the downbeat session. At the Casablanca close, the Moroccan All Shares index slipped 0.01%.
Top performers
The leading gains on the Moroccan All Shares were recorded by several individual names. IB Maroc Com SA (CSE:IBC) led the session, rising 9.56% - an increase of 5.89 points - to finish at 67.50. Risma (CSE:RIS) advanced 4.20%, or 14.50 points, to close at 360.00. Societe des Boissons du Maroc SA (CSE:SBM) also posted a notable rise, up 2.96% - 68.00 points - to end the day at 2,367.00.
Largest declines
On the downside, Auto Hall (CSE:ATH) dropped 4.46%, a fall of 3.50 points, to trade at 75.00 at the close. Residences Dar Saada SA (CSE:RDS) slipped 2.62%, down 4.30 points, to finish at 160.00. Miniere Touissit (CSE:CMT) declined 2.42%, a loss of 118.00 points, closing at 4,761.00.
Market breadth
Decliners outnumbered advancers on the Casablanca Stock Exchange, with 33 stocks down versus 25 that rose, while 3 issues ended unchanged.
Commodities and futures
Commodity markets showed upward moves during the session. Crude oil for June delivery rose 2.46%, gaining $2.21 to reach $91.88 a barrel. Brent oil for June delivery increased 2.59%, or $2.55, to $101.03 a barrel. The June Gold Futures contract moved higher as well, up 0.75% - an increase of $35.59 - to trade at $4,755.19 a troy ounce. The US Dollar Index Futures was up 0.11% at 98.33.
Foreign exchange
Currency pairs involving the Moroccan dirham saw modest moves. EUR/MAD fell 0.16% to 10.85, while USD/MAD climbed 0.10% to 9.25.
The session left the domestic benchmark essentially flat in percentage terms, with a mix of strong single-stock performers and sectoral pressure shaping the close.