P9 billion wiped off foreign board at BSE
Friday, December 05, 2008
According to a Capital Securities' November 2008 BSE report, the P9 billion that has been wiped off the board since the opening of the year is "potentially more damaging" than meets the eye.
The report says in the month of November, of the eight Botswana mining-related stocks, three improved on their previous four-week performance, four slowed, while one was steady. The market cap of the mining-related stocks was P12,995 million. Over the last four weeks it had dropped 2.7 percent, over 52 weeks it is down 41.5 percent. Anglo American, also dual-listed, was up 26.0 percent over the four-week period.
Instead, it has sparked a storm of accusations, denials, and unresolved questions about the influence of De Beers on the nation’s politics. Former president Mokgweetsi Masisi’s claims that the diamond giants bankrolled his removal to dodge taxes – and that the new Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) government watered down a favourable diamond deal – are explosive matters. But without evidence, they risk becoming a toxic distraction from...