Republikein Newspaper

Jo-Maré Duddy – Namibia Breweries Ltd was the undisputed winner on the Local Index of the Namibian Stock Exchange (NSX) in 2018, with its share price gaining about 19.2% compared to 2017.

NamBrew ended December at N$46.50 per share, N$7.48 higher than December 2017.

In the process NamBrew’s total market capitalisation rose by N$1.343 billion to N$9.604 billion, making it the second biggest company on the Local Index.

The only other company which ended 2018 on a higher note than 2017 was Nimbus Infrastructure Ltd. Nimbus closed the year at N$11.00 per share, up 50c or 4.8% from 2017. It total market capitalisation increased by N$207 million to N$316 million.

Capricorn Investment Group was 2018’s biggest loser on the Local Index, shedding 13.9% or N$2.50 on its closing price. The group ended last year at N$15.50 per share.

The drop in share price robbed Capricorn from its spot as the second biggest company on the Local Index. At the end of 2018, the group’s total market capitalisation was N$8.047 billion, N$1.288 billion less than the previous year.

Namibia Asset Management closed 2018 at 64c per share, falling 11.1% or 8c from the end of 2017. The company’s market capitalisation shrunk by N$8 million to N$128 million.

Bidvest Namibia took the third biggest knock in 2018. Its share price dropped by 10.8% or 85c to end the year at N$6.99 a piece. The group total market capitalisation dropped by N$182 million to settle at N$1.482 billion.

Other losers

FirstRand Namibia ended 2018 at N$43.44 per share. Compared to the previous year, the group’s closing price lost 6.8% or N$3.19. Its total market capitalisation fell by N$840 million to N$11.624 billion.

Nictus Holdings-Nam closed 2018 about 4.8% or 9c lower than the previous. It ended Monday at N$1.80 per share. Its total market capitalisation of N$96 million was N$5 million less than the end of 2017.

Letshego Holdings Namibia closed at N$3.90 per share. Compared to December 2017, this is 2.3% or 9c lower. The group’s total market capitalisation decreased by N$40 million to N$1.95 billion.

Oryx Properties Ltd ended 2018 at N$20.21 per share, 1.9% or 38c down from 2017. Its total market capitalisation at the end of last year stood at N$1.596 billion, N$8 million less than the end of 2017.

The total market capitalisation of the Local Index at the end of 2018 was N$35.406 billion, a drop of N$822 million compared to 2017.

The Local Index gained 21.83 points or 3.6% during the year under review and ended 2018 at 621.48 points.

The Overall Index of the NSX gained nearly 0.26%, while the JSE All Share Index lost about 11.9%.