Business News of Monday, 15 March 2004

Source: GNA

HFC sustains grip on local bourse

Accra, March 15, GNA - Huge investor interest in the shares of Home Finance Company (HFC) on Monday catapulted the share price to 8,600 cedis registering a 600 cedis gain over Friday's close. Eight other gainers on the local bourse sent the GSE All-Share Index up 72.08 points to open this weeks' trading at 5,210.64 compared to the 5,138.56 posted on Friday.

The Change in the year to date fixed at 46.64 per cent.

Experts and dealers on the market say HFC, which has consistently seen significant share appreciation since it transformed itself into a full, fledged banking institution, is set to go places.

On the broader market, Aluworks, which posted an impressive results in the last quarter of last year and is expected to sustain the trend in this quarter made 301 cedis to finish trading at 6,301 cedis.

SSB Bank posted a significant 113 cedis gain to end at 24,615 cedis. The other gainers were Fan Milk Limited and Produce Buying Company, which went up 100 cedis each to finish at 5,200 cedis and 3,900 cedis, respectively.

GGL registered 49 cedis gain to end trading richer at 8,400 Accra Brewery Limited gained 46 cedis to end at 600 cedis while Cocoa Processing Company also made 41 cedis to finish trading at 950 cedis.

Ghana Commercial Bank, the nation's premiere bank, sustained its determined rise and impressive performance on the GSE making 15 cedis on its share price to close at 13,625 cedis.

British American Tobacco and Mechanical Lloyd Company inched up two cedis and a cedi, to finish at 6,272 cedis and 941 cedis, respectively. Market capitalization was 16,802.57 billion cedis from 3,077.06 million issued shares.

The following are the last prices of listed equities in cedis:

ABL 600 +46 AGC 28,650 ALW 6,301 +301 BAT 6,272 +2 CFAO 85 CMLT 665

CPC 950 +41

EIC 15,950

FML 5,200 +100 GBL 1,425 GCB 13,625 +15

GGL 8,400 +49

HFC 8,600 +600

MGL 275 MLC 941 +1 MOGL 36,502 PAF 740

PBC 3,900 +100

PZ 3,000 SCB 70,001 SPPC 390 SSB 24,615 +113 SWL 290 TBL 13,000 UNIL 17,500