ZAMBIA'S CAPITAL MARKETS TOTAL SAVINGS INCREASE BY 9% IN LAST QUARTER OF 2023

 The securities exchange commission -SEC- says Zambia's capital markets has continued to show resilience as it experienced a notable increase, with total savings rising by 9 percent in the last quarter of 2023, reaching K92.3 billion as at December 31st , 2023.

Highlighting the performance of the capital markets for the fourth quarter of 2023 at the media briefing in Lusaka today, SEC acting chief executive officer Diana Sichone attributed the growth to a surge in the market price of shares listed on the Lusaka securities exchange PLC.

Mrs. Sichone has revealed that the market capitalization, representing the value of shares listed on the Lusaka securities exchange, rose by 8 percent, closing at K88.7 billion by the end of December 2023.

She says this was primarily fueled by the increase in share prices of listed companies such as the Copperbelt Energy Corporation, Zambia sugar, Real Estate Investments Zambia PLC, Standard chartered bank, and Zanaco.

Meanwhile, Mrs Sichone has also noted a 19% decrease in government bond trades, with 1,756 recorded in the fourth quarter compared to 2,181 in the previous one.

She also highlighted a 46% decrease in the nominal value traded, dropping from K34.61 billion in the third quarter to K18.6 billion in the fourth quarter.