Moroccan equities ended Friday's session in negative territory, with the Moroccan All Shares easing 0.91% at the Casablanca close. Market participants noted sector-level pressure led by Utilities, Banking and Mining as the primary drivers behind the downward move.
The session's top performers on the Moroccan All Shares were limited. CFG Bank SA (CSE:CFG) rose 1.44% - gaining 3.00 points to finish at 211.00. S2M (CSE:S2M) added 1.15%, a 6.10-point increase to close at 536.00. Wafa Assurance (CSE:WAA) also posted gains, up 0.93% or 50.00 points to end the session at 5,400.00.
On the other end of the ledger, declines were steeper among the session's laggards. Delta Holding S.A (CSE:DHO) led the losers, sliding 3.45% - down 1.90 points to 53.10 at the close. Marocaine pour le Commerce et l’Industrie Banque SA (CSE:BCI) moved 3.05% lower, a 19.00-point decrease to 600.00. Label Vie (CSE:LBV) fell 3.04%, shedding 130.00 points to finish at 4,150.00.
Decliners outnumbered advancers on the Casablanca Stock Exchange by a margin of 42 to 14, while 5 issues remained unchanged by the close.
Global commodities traded lower during the session. Crude oil for October delivery declined 2.71% - down 2.78 to trade at $99.70 a barrel. Brent oil for November slipped 2.41% or 2.59 to $105.04 a barrel. Precious metals saw a modest move, with the December Gold Futures contract falling 0.07% - down 2.96 to trade at $4,404.34 a troy ounce.
In foreign exchange markets, the euro weakened versus the Moroccan dirham, with EUR/MAD down 0.73% to 10.83. The dollar strengthened against the dirham, as USD/MAD rose 0.52% to 9.41. The US Dollar Index Futures was marginally lower, down 0.01% at 99.04.
This trading day left the Casablanca benchmark modestly lower while selected financial, insurance and technology names posted gains. Commodity price moves, particularly in oil benchmarks, were notable alongside currency shifts between the dirham and major currencies.