Smooth West African Polls May End Bourse’s Four-Year Losing Run
The Regional Securities Exchange SA, also known as the Bourse Regionale des Valeurs Mobilieres SA in Abidjan, Ivory Coast.
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The benchmark stock index in West Africa’s regional bourse, which has been in retreat since 2016, may get a boost if a flurry of elections in member countries pass off smoothly this year, according to a money manager.
Four states affiliated with the Bourse Regionale des Valeurs Mobilieres: Togo, Burkina Faso, Niger and Ivory Coast, Francophone West Africa’s largest economy, go to the polls this year. Successful voting, combined with beaten-down stock valuations could entice investors back to the market, said Myriam Ouattara, of EDC Asset Management, which oversees about $307 million in mutual funds.