DAR ES SALAAM, Feb. 3 -- THE banking sector sits at the centre of the Dar es Salaam Stock Exchange (DSE), setting the rhythm for market performance and investor sentiment. Listed banks dominate market capitalisation and liquidity, and their earnings results are often the clearest signal of where the broader market is headed.

For participants across equities and bonds, bank balance sheets have become the lens through which opportunity and risk are assessed.

“The banking sector remains the single most powerful stream on the DSE,” Mr Geresa Kamugisha, Chief Executive at Alpha Capitals said yesterday. “When banks perform well, confidence spreads across the market. When pressures emerge, they are felt almost immediately....