DCI slows down in Jan, Feb
Mbongeni Mguni | Wednesday March 18, 2026 12:51
Between January and February 28, Choppies’ share price retreated by seven percent, whilst Letshego shed 5.6 percent, pushing the DCI down. In an update, BSE officials said only a few domestic counters, such as Absa (+0.1 percent), Turnstar (+0.5 percent), and Botswana Telecommunications Corporation Limited (plus nine percent), showed positive growth, but their gains were not enough to offset losses from the weaker performers, hence the slight drop in the DCI.
BTCL, the only listed telecomms group, has enjoyed a stellar performance on the exchange in recent times and is currently trading at levels last seen in 2017. The retail-investor-heavy counter closed at P1.46 on Wednesday, shy of its all-time high of P1.85, reached on December 22, 2017.
BSE officials noted that by contrast, the strong rise in Anglo’s share price (+31.4%) and Investec (plus nine percent), which are foreign‑listed counters, aligned with the very sharp increase in the Foreign Company Index (FCI), which jumped 30% over the same period. The officials said this made it clear that foreign counters drove overall market strength, while domestic counters remained mostly subdued over the period.