BSE biggest movers

Good morning, this is the last Monday of 2025.

Can you believe how fast this year went? I know I’m having a hard time believing it, I’m planning to properly collect all the data from these reports for this year, so soon there will be a full report of all the stock market news for 2025 in an organized PDF for a limited time, and it will be free, but anyway, let’s get into it!

The Botswana Stock Exchange has seen massive divergence in performance over the last 12 months. While retail and banking stocks have surged on turnaround stories and strong data revenue, security and micro-lending stocks have faced significant headwinds.

Here is the breakdown of the market's performance, ranked by Yearly Return.

The Top Performers (Yearly Return)

1. Choppies Enterprises (CHOP-EQO)

• Yearly Return: +201.9% 

• Current Price: P1.57

• The "Why": Choppies is the undisputed king of the BSE for the past year, tripling in value. After years of restructuring, the retailer has executed a successful turnaround strategy. Investor confidence has returned significantly, bolstered by the company's return to profitability and aggressive expansion plans. Recent reports also indicate key executives have been acquiring shares, signaling strong internal confidence in the company's future value.

2. BBS Bank (BBS-EQO)

• Yearly Return: +40.0%

• Current Price: P0.70

• The "Why": BBS Bank is reaping the rewards of its transformation into a fully-fledged commercial bank. After obtaining its commercial license, the bank has aggressively expanded its loan book (particularly unsecured lending) and successfully returned to profitability (posting its first profit since 2018). The market is pricing in this successful "turnaround" story.

3. Standard Chartered Bank (SCBB-EQO)

• Yearly Return: +24.8%

• Current Price: P8.75

• The "Why": "Stanchart" remains a blue-chip favorite due to its consistent dividend payouts and strong balance sheet. The gains reflect solid earnings growth and its reputation as a safe, income-generating asset for institutional investors.

4. Botswana Telecommunications Corp (BTCL-EQO)

• Yearly Return: +24.5%

• Current Price: P1.32

• The "Why": BTCL has hit a multi-year high, driven by a surge in data revenue. As the company pivots from traditional voice to digital and cloud services, their margins have improved. Investors are rewarding the company’s ability to modernize its revenue streams in a digital-first economy.

5. Sechaba Brewery Holdings (SECH-EQO)

• Yearly Return: +18.7%

• Current Price: P38.00

• The "Why": A steady performer, Sechaba continues to benefit from consistent demand in the beverages sector. Its rise is linked to stable earnings from its underlying investments (Kgalagadi Breweries and Coca-Cola).

Other Notable Gainers:

• CA Sales (CAS-EQO): +17.9% (Strong FMCG distribution performance).

• Sefalana (SEF-EQO): +12.8% (Consistent retail growth).

• Absa Bank (ABBL-EQO): +10.1% (Solid banking fundamentals).

The Laggards (Yearly Losses)

While the top half of the market rallied, specific sectors faced severe pressure:

• Letshego (LETS-EQO): -21.7% The micro-lender continues to face pressure from a challenging operating environment in its regional markets and internal restructuring costs.

• G4S Botswana (G4S-EQO): -62.9% The biggest loser on the board. G4S has struggled with spiraling costs—specifically a massive statutory wage increase (over 23%) that severely impacted margins. Combined with stiff competition from citizen-owned security firms, the company has posted consecutive losses, driving investors away.

Weekly Gainers (7-Day Return)

While most of the market was flat (0%) this week, two companies managed to squeeze out gains.

1. Botswana Telecommunications Corp (BTCL-EQO)

• Weekly Gain: +0.8%

• Why: Momentum. BTCL is currently enjoying a wave of positive sentiment following its recent strong financial results. The stock is seeing sustained interest from retail investors who see it as an affordable entry point into the tech sector.

2. Absa Bank (ABBL-EQO)

• Weekly Gain: +0.3%

• Why: Likely a result of institutional portfolio rebalancing. Absa remains a high-quality stock with high Return on Equity (ROE), making it a default "haven" buy for investors looking to park cash in a stable asset at the end of the week.

Source: simplywallst