GSE Closes Week with GH¢1.28 Billion Boom in Single-Day Trading

The Ghana Stock Exchange closed the week on a bullish high as trading volumes surged to 247.9 million shares and total turnover reached a remarkable GH¢1.28 billion on Thursday, July 3, 2025. The explosive activity, which marked the final session of the week due to the Friday holiday, was almost entirely driven by a large block trade in Guinness Ghana Breweries PLC.

The brewery’s shares saw over 247 million units change hands at GH¢6.05, contributing more than GH¢1.27 billion to the day’s total value.

The sharp increase in market value and volume was largely driven by a special on-market transaction involving Guinness Ghana Breweries PLC. Diageo Holdings Netherlands B.V. completed the transfer of its entire 80.4% stake in the company to the Castel Group, as part of a broader corporate restructuring strategy.

The block trade, executed as a Free of Payment transaction, involved over 247 million shares valued at GH¢1.27 billion, accounting for nearly all of Thursday’s total turnover. 

Though the share price remained unchanged at GH¢6.05, the transaction significantly lifted the market’s capitalization and volume metrics, illustrating how strategic ownership changes can reflect strongly in exchange data, even without widespread investor trading.

It was a quiet start to the week, with cumulative value traded from Monday to Wednesday remaining below GH¢25 million. But Thursday’s trade in Guinness Ghana transformed the market landscape, pushing the day’s market capitalization up by over GH¢1.2 billion and lifting overall sentiment. 

Despite the block nature of the Guinness trade, the GSE Composite Index still recorded a notable gain, rising from 6,246.35 to close the week at 6,347.47, a 101.12-point increase. The Financial Stocks Index also moved up slightly to 3,405.34. Year-to-date, the GSE-CI has posted a gain of 29.84%, while the GSE-FSI has risen by 43.03%.

Beyond Guinness Ghana, a handful of stocks saw price movement that contributed to the market’s momentum. TotalEnergies Marketing Ghana closed at GH¢30.25, up GH¢2.75 from the previous session. Access Bank Ghana gained GH¢1.35 to reach GH¢14.95, marking a new year high. Republic Bank Ghana added GH¢0.06 to close at GH¢0.72, and MTN Ghana inched up by GH¢0.05 to finish at GH¢2.98. NewGold, the gold-backed ETF, also closed stronger at GH¢354.80, up GH¢5.61, though its traded value was modest compared to the Guinness transaction.

Index	Previous (July 2)	Current (July 3)	Change (Points)	YTD Change (%)
GSE Composite Index (GSE-CI)	6,246.35	6,347.47	+101.12	29.84%
GSE Financial Stocks Index (GSE-FSI)	3,373.02	3,405.34	+32.32	43.03%

The trading session capped a week that began quietly but ended with renewed activity. Monday and Tuesday each saw modest volumes and values, while Wednesday’s activity was subdued. The Guinness block trade on Thursday brought cumulative volume to an unusual high and shifted the tone of the week entirely.

While much of Thursday’s excitement came from a single trade, the underlying resilience in price movements across several sectors suggests that investor confidence remains quietly firm. 

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