Morocco's main equity gauge ended the trading day lower on Monday, with the Moroccan All Shares index slipping 3.30% at the close in Casablanca. Sector weakness in Utilities, Banking and Mining contributed to the downward pressure on the benchmark.
The session's top performers included Lesieur Cristal (CSE:LES), which gained 5.76% - an advance of 19.00 points - to finish at 349.00. IB Maroc Com SA (CSE:IBC) rose 4.82% or 2.99 points to close at 64.99, while Afriquia Gaz (CSE:GAZ) added 3.66% or 134.00 points, ending the day at 3,798.00.
On the downside, Involys (CSE:INV) led losses with a 9.97% drop, down 17.45 points to 157.55 at the close. M2M Group (CSE:M2M) fell 9.35%, a decline of 40.95 points, to settle at 397.05, and Jet Contractors (CSE:JET) decreased 8.45% or 185.00 points to 2,005.00.
Market breadth was weak: falling stocks outnumbered advancing ones by 53 to 6, and 4 stocks finished unchanged on the Casablanca Stock Exchange.
One notable intra-session development saw shares of M2M Group (CSE:M2M) trade down to a five-year low, losing 9.35% or 40.95 points to reach 397.05.
Commodities and currencies
Energy markets moved sharply during the session. Crude oil for April delivery increased 5.92% - a gain of 5.38 - to $96.28 a barrel. Brent oil for May delivery jumped 7.42% or 6.88 to $99.57 a barrel. Precious metals saw the April Gold Futures contract fall 0.84% or 43.29, trading at $5,115.41 a troy ounce.
Foreign exchange rates showed notable moves against the Moroccan dirham. EUR/MAD climbed 0.51% to 10.86, while USD/MAD rose 1.06% to 9.40. The US Dollar Index Futures was up 0.03% at 99.01.
Broader context and market signals
The market's decline coincided with strong moves in global commodity and currency instruments during the session. A small number of stocks delivered gains, but the majority of issues closed lower, reflecting widespread selling across key sectors. The drop to a five-year low for M2M Group highlights the pressure on some individual issuers within this environment.
Promotional note included in the trading bulletin
The bulletin also included a promotional summary of an investment product. It stated that year to date, two out of three global portfolios managed by the referenced strategy were outperforming their benchmark indexes, with 88% of portfolios in positive territory. The note cited performance of the highlighted Tech Titans strategy, claiming it doubled the S&P 500 within 18 months and produced winners such as Super Micro Computer and AppLovin, and asked which stock might be next to rise. The promotional text concluded with a call to "Pick Stocks with AI." These statements were presented in the trading update.