Bulgarian indices close mostly lower, turnover rises

The blue-chip SOFIX, which tracks the 15 most liquid shares on the Bulgarian Stock Exchange (BSE), edged up 0.15% to 321.15 points following a 0.20% increase on Tuesday.

The broader BG40, which includes the 40 most traded shares, dropped 0.82% to 114.19 points after losing 0.66% in the previous trading session.

Total turnover on the regulated market rose to 2.2 million levs ($1.4 million/1.12 million euro) from 550,133 levs on Tuesday.

Six of the 13 SOFIX components which were traded on Wednesday advanced, as many fell and one ended flat.

Industrial group Stara Planina Hold [BUL:5SR] led the SOFIX gainers, closing 7.49% higher at 2.41 levs as 375 shares changed hands.

Fertilisers producer Neochim [BUL:3NB] was the top blue-chip decliner for a second session in a row, closing 6.86% lower at 29.03 levs in a volume of 110 shares.

The BG-REIT index, which tracks the performance of real estate investment trusts, ended 1.12% lower at 78.92 points after rising by 1.66% on Tuesday.

The BG TotalReturn30, in which companies with a free float of at least 10% have equal weight, was down 0.58% to 256.78 points following a 0.47% increase in the previous session.

The CGIX Corporate Governance index, which includes companies strictly applying corporate governance principles, rose 2.32% to 81.43 points. It fell 0.88% on Tuesday.

(1 euro = 1.95583 Bulgarian levs)