Moroccan stocks ended the trading session weaker on Wednesday as sector-specific declines in Utilities, Banking and Mining pushed the Moroccan All Shares index down 1.96% at the close in Casablanca.
On the winners' side, M2M Group (CSE:M2M) led gains, finishing up 3.95% - a rise of 15.05 points - to close at 395.80. Med Paper (CSE:MDP) advanced 3.37% or 0.82 points to finish at 25.15, and Colorado (CSE:COL) rose 2.91% - an increase of 2.25 points - to end the day at 79.55.
At the other end of the tape, Managem (CSE:MNG) suffered the steepest decline, sliding 9.77% or 1,602.00 points to close at 14,800.00. SMI (CSE:SMI) dropped 9.64% - down 771.00 points - to 7,230.00, while Alliances (CSE:ADI) fell 5.12% or 19.95 points to finish at 370.00.
Market breadth was skewed toward losses: 47 stocks fell versus 11 that advanced, and one remained unchanged on the Casablanca Stock Exchange.
Alliances (CSE:ADI) reached a 52-week low during the session, declining 5.12% to 370.00.
Commodity markets showed divergent moves during the same trading window. Crude oil for July delivery climbed 1.92% - up $1.69 - to $89.89 a barrel. Brent crude for August delivery rose 1.49% or $1.36 to $92.81 a barrel. In contrast, the August Gold Futures contract fell 3.21% - slipping by $137.43 - to trade at $4,148.97 a troy ounce.
Foreign exchange rates posted small changes: the euro-to-Moroccan-dirham rate (EUR/MAD) ticked up 0.07% to 10.70, while the dollar-to-MAD cross (USD/MAD) was effectively unchanged, moving 0.05% to 9.26. The US Dollar Index Futures registered a marginal gain of 0.01%, trading at 99.90.
The session's trading profile highlights a concentrated set of large moves among individual names and notable sector weakness in Utilities, Banking and Mining, while select smaller-cap stocks recorded intraday gains.