Kenyan shares halt slide after central bank keeps rates on holdKenyan shares halted a seven-day slide on Wednesday after the central bank kept its key interest rate on hold a day earlier, signalling it is keen to support growth despite a higher inflation outlook.
On the foreign exchange market, shilling held steady with traders forecasting the local currency would remain in a narrow range.
The Central Bank of Kenya met market expectations when it kept its benchmark interest rate unchanged at 8.50 percent on Tuesday, saying inflation was contained within an acceptable margin of its medium-term target.
Treasury Cabinet Secretary Henry Rotich said on Wednesday he expected a one-off rise in some consumer prices in September after lawmakers widened the bracket of goods subject to value-added tax.
The main NSE-20 share index edged up 0.3 percent to 4,659.85 points. The index had lost 3.7 percent in seven straight sessions since Aug. 26 on investor profit taking as a half-year earning results season came to an end.
It is still 12.5 percent up so far this year.