The Ghana Stock Exchange (GSE) delivered another day of solid gains, with the GSE Composite Index climbing by an impressive 272.83 points to close at 14,762.45. That extends the week's rally, pushing the year-to-date return on the benchmark index to just above 68 per cent.

Market capitalisation also received a significant boost, rising from GH¢276.09 billion on Tuesday to GH¢278.31 billion, reflecting broad-based investor enthusiasm despite a mixed performance across individual stocks.

Total volume traded eased slightly to 2.29 million shares from Tuesday's 2.76 million, but total value traded more than doubled to GH¢25.29 million, driven largely by heavy buying in two big-cap names.

GCB Bank was the undisputed star of the session. The tier-one lender added another GH¢3.84 to its share price, closing at GH¢42.27. That represents a 10 per cent jump in a single day, building on Tuesday's near 10 per cent gain. In just two sessions, GCB has now risen nearly 21 per cent, and investors are clearly rewarding the bank's solid fundamentals.

MTNGH also made a powerful move, climbing GH¢0.24 to close at GH¢6.52. That pushed the telecom giant's market capitalisation past GH¢86 billion, making it the most valuable stock on the exchange by a wide margin. Over GH¢4.98 million worth of MTNGH shares changed hands, the highest value traded for any stock on the day.

Other notable gainers included CAL Bank, which added GH¢0.01 to close at GH¢0.90, GOIL, which rose GH¢0.04 to GH¢7.99, and SIC Insurance, which climbed GH¢0.23 to GH¢4.81. Newly listed ZEN Petroleum Holdings also made its presence felt, gaining GH¢0.05 to close at GH¢5.05 on its second day of trading.

However, the session was not without its losers. Benso Palm Plantation fell sharply, shedding GH¢4.13 to close at GH¢85.86, making it the biggest loser of the day in absolute terms. ETI also reversed course, dropping GH¢0.08 to GH¢2.24, while Fan Milk edged down GH¢0.05 to GH¢12.50. TotalEnergies Marketing Ghana slipped GH¢0.02 to GH¢34.55.

In the alternative market, Hords recorded its first significant trade in some time, with nearly 44,000 shares changing hands, though the price remained flat at GH¢0.10.

Gainers for the day: GCB Bank, MTNGH, CAL Bank, GOIL, SIC Insurance, ZEN Petroleum Holdings.

Laggards for the day: Benso Palm Plantation, ETI, Fan Milk, TotalEnergies Marketing Ghana.

The market continues to show strong momentum heading into the final two sessions of the week. If GCB and MTNGH sustain their buying pressure, we could see the GSE Composite Index test even higher levels before Friday's close. From the trading floor, this is your update for session 7196.