The wealth of investors in the Nairobi Securities Exchange (NSE) has increased by Sh1.04 trillion since the start of the year, in the wake of share price boom, cementing the bourse as the top asset class.
The Nairobi bourse has posted a 53.7 percent return so far and on course to close the year at the best performance in over a decade, following up gains of 34.7 percent in 2024.
Returns from stocks in the year so far are nearly five times higher than the second major asset class, asserting the dominance of local equities in the 2025 investment playbook.
The highest grossing money market fund has an annualised return of 11.71 percent, making it the distant second top asset class ahead of returns from the 364-day/one year Treasury bill, which came in at 9.3454 percent as of last week.
The average return from property sales meanwhile sits third, returning gains of 8.2 percent on an annualised basis as per data from Hass Consult third quarter property index.
Gains from land sales within Nairobi suburbs such as Muthaiga, Pangani, Kilimani and Kilileshwa meanwhile average to 6.27 percent.
Commercial bank fixed deposits currently fetch a lower return of 7.63 percent, while property rentals have left most investors in losses, averaging an annualised contraction of 1.3 percent.
Market capitalisation over the period has risen from a low Sh1.439 trillion at the end of 2023 to Sh2.981 trillion as at the close of trading on Tuesday this week.
More than three quarters of the NSE paper wealth increase sits in blue chip stocks such as Safaricom, Equity, KCB, EABL and NCBA.
The five stocks have recorded an increase of Sh475.9 billion, Sh71.5 billion, Sh84.1 billion, Sh51.4 billion and Sh140.8 billion respectively since the turn of the year.
Small cap stocks however remain in the green with Olympia Capital leading the way with gains of Sh173.6 million ahead of Express Kenya, Flame Tree Group, Uchumi Supermarkets and Eveready.
Sameer Africa Plc has led the way in overall gains as its stock price shoots by 488.4 percent, ranking ahead of the NSE, Home Africa, utility Kenya Power and TransCentury.
