Moroccan equities finished the session in negative territory on Thursday, with the Moroccan All Shares index sliding 0.52% to register a new one-month low at the close in Casablanca. Sector pressure from Utilities, Banking and Mining underpinned much of the weakness.
Market breadth was skewed toward sellers on the Casablanca Stock Exchange: 37 stocks fell, 12 advanced and 11 remained unchanged.
Top performers
- Salafin (CSE:SLF) was the session's strongest gainer, rising 6.26% or 27.00 points to finish at 458.00.
- Lesieur Cristal (CSE:LES) added 2.76% or 8.50 points to close at 316.50.
- Residences Dar Saada SA (CSE:RDS) advanced 2.06% or 3.50 points to end the day at 173.50.
Largest decliners
- Ste de Travaux de Realisation d'Ouvrages et de Constuction Industielle SA (CSE:STR) dropped 4.47% or 7.95 points to 170.05.
- SMI (CSE:SMI) fell 4.08% or 249.00 points to close at 5,851.00.
- Rebab Company (CSE:REB) slipped 3.98% or 3.65 points to 88.01 and moved to a 52-week low.
Count data and individual moves illustrated a clear skew toward declines, with a handful of stocks posting outsized gains while several financial and industrial names weighed on the index. Rebab Company's close at 88.01 marked a fresh 52-week trough for the stock.
Commodities and FX
Energy and precious metals showed mixed direction in overseas markets. Crude oil for August delivery was up 0.01% or 0.01 to $79.61 a barrel, while Brent for September delivery rose 0.08% or 0.07 to $85.02 a barrel. The August Gold Futures contract lost 1.30% or 52.55 to trade at $3,999.25 a troy ounce.
On currency crosses, EUR/MAD was essentially flat, unchanged by 0.02% at 10.66, and USD/MAD was unchanged by 0.03% at 9.33. The US Dollar Index Futures traded higher by 0.28% at 100.55.
Overall, Thursday's session left the Moroccan All Shares lower, with sector-level pressure concentrated in Utilities, Banking and Mining. The market's breadth and notable share-specific moves underline the uneven nature of the session.