The Nairobi Securities Exchange (NSE) continued its upward trajectory on Thursday, August 28, 2025, as investors rallied behind corporate earnings optimism and positive macroeconomic signals.

Equity indices including the NSE All Share Index (NASI) and NSE 20 Share Index posted modest gains, building on last week’s strong performance.

By August 25, NASI closed at 170.41 points, up 0.38 points from the prior trading day, while the NSE 20 Share Index rose to 2,792.72 points, gaining 34.10 points.

The broader NSE 25 and NSE 10 indices also advanced, registering respective increases of 13.83 and 4.18 points. Market capitalization climbed by Ksh 6.07 billion to reach Ksh 2.684 trillion.

Trading activity showed mixed signals. Total shares traded fell to 23.56 million, and equity turnover contracted by Ksh 120.6 million to Ksh 387.8 million. Conversely, ETF activity surged with unit trades jumping by 435,752, and ETF turnover nearly doubling to Ksh 49 million.

The rally this week reflects sustained market optimism. Across all major indices, week-on-week gains were notable: NASI rose 2.6 percent, NSE 20 gained 3.3 percent, followed by moderate advances in the NSE 10 and NSE 25 benchmarks.

Growth was largely driven by strong performances in blue-chip equities such as EABL, Safaricom, and KCB Group, while foreign investor participation remained healthy.

Investor wealth has seen a meteoric rise since mid-2024. According to Ecofin Agency, the NSE added over Ksh 1.07 trillion or roughly USD 8.2 billion in market value during the past 15 months, placing Nairobi among Africa’s leading equity markets in dollar-adjusted performance.

However, this boom remains concentrated in a few sectors, with energy, telecoms, and industrial stocks leading gains, while agriculture and automotive counters lag behind.

The outlook remains cautiously optimistic. Upcoming corporate earnings and macroeconomic data releases could further influence market sentiment, particularly if investors continue to favor equities over fixed income alternatives.