Moroccan equities retreated Friday, with the benchmark Moroccan All Shares index down 0.61% at the close in Casablanca, as declines in utilities, banking and mining sectors outweighed gains elsewhere.
Declining issues outnumbered advancers by 42 to 19, with six stocks unchanged. The broad-based retreat followed a session in which energy and precious metals also softened, while the dollar firmed against the Moroccan dirham.
Among the index’s top performers, pharmaceuticals group Ste Promotion Pharmaceutique du Maghreb SA led with a 5.97% rise to 1,296.00, while logistics firm Involys added 3.06% to 132.95 and mining company Zellidja S.A. gained 3.00% to 319.80.
The weakest performers included Rebab Company, which fell 4.76% to 100.00, building materials group Fenie Brossette down 3.23% at 392.00, and diversified group Atlanta, which declined 3.01% to 124.15.
Commodities ended lower, with October crude oil futures down 0.72% at $82.93 a barrel and November Brent crude down 0.54% at $88.04. December gold futures fell 0.81% to $4,626.26 an ounce.
The U.S. dollar index rose 0.34% to 99.43, while the dollar strengthened 0.30% against the Moroccan dirham to 9.28. The euro held steady versus the dirham at 10.76.
