Good morning, let’s get into it!
This week's market wrap highlights a period of intense volatility for the Botswana Stock Exchange (BSE), as major players navigate a landscape of diamond-market slumps and shifting corporate strategies.
Yearly Returns: Leaders and Laggards
The yearly performance across the main board reflects a stark contrast between resilient financial services and a retail sector under immense pressure.
Rank | Company | Yearly Return | Why it Happened |
1 | BTCL | +28.0% | Driven by a 30% surge in profit before tax following a successful "three-year strategy." Revenue grew through aggressive mobile data uptake and a sharp increase in mobile money and cloud services. |
2 | Stanchart | +25.0% | Despite the parent company’s January 2026 announcement to fully exit the Botswana market, the stock has remained a top performer due to strong fiscal 2025 earnings and the potential for a high-value acquisition of the entire unit. |
3 | Letshego | +12.0% | A recovery story; the Group reported a 91% jump in profit before tax (BWP 232M) for FY2024. Success in deduction-at-source (DAS) lending in Namibia and Mozambique offset previous losses in the Botswana individual loan portfolio. |
4 | Absa Bank | +8.7% | While positive for the year, momentum slowed as the bank issued a cautionary statement in March 2026, warning that 2025 profits would be 5–15% lower due to rising impairment charges and operating costs. |
5 | Choppies | -76.0% | The retail giant’s stock cratered from 795c to 190c. The collapse was triggered by a massive share dump (speculated to be from senior management) coupled with a profit warning citing the diamond market slump, which has severely reduced consumer spending in Botswana. |
Weekly Mover: Absa Bank Botswana
Absa Bank Botswana was the most notable mover this week, though for reasons that kept investors on edge. The stock dominated market conversations following its March 12th announcement.
The Catalyst: Absa warned shareholders to "exercise caution" as they anticipate a significant drop in annual profit. The bank pointed to elevated credit impairment costs and a challenging operating environment where revenue growth has stalled, particularly within the corporate banking segment.
Despite the cautious outlook, the stock saw slight activity as investors positioned themselves ahead of the formal results release scheduled for March 26th.
Source: simplywallst
