Bulgarian Share Indices Drop, Turnover Up

The blue-chip SOFIX index, which comprises the 20 most liquid shares trading on the BSE, fell 0.5% to 437.73 points. The broader BG40 index, which tracks the 40 most traded shares on the bourse, fell 0.44% to 123.57 points.

The SOFIX rose 0.72% and the BG40 index inched up 0.58% on Tuesday.

Turnover, excluding block and other pre-agreed deals, rose to 1.496 million levs ($1.07 million/765,000 euro) from Tuesday’s 913,241 levs.

On Wednesday, 23 stocks ended higher, 37 lost ground and 16 closed flat.

Twelve of the 20 blue chips lost ground, four moved higher, one was not traded, and three closed flat on Wednesday.

Corporate Commercial Bank was the biggest SOFIX gainer, rising 4.46% to 53.90 levs in a volume of 41 shares. The bank turned its fortunes around from Tuesday whet it was the session's biggest loser, falling 6.18% to 51.60 levs.

Industrial Holding Bulgaria was the second-best SOFIX performer, gaining 3.37% to 2.12 levs in a volume of 2,359 shares.

The biggest SOFIX decliner on Wednesday was construction and energy group Enemona which fell 3.54% to 9.06 levs in a volume of 11,180 shares.

The most traded company on Wednesday was Central Cooperative Bank as 115,111 shares changed hands. Shares fell 2.24% to 1.49 levs.

The bourse's BG TotalReturn30 index, in which companies with a free float of at least 10% have equal weight, fell 0.35% to 327.16 after rising by 0.24% on Tuesday.

The BG-REIT index, tracking the performance of real estate investment trusts, declined by 1.53% to 41.11 points after a 0.52% fall a day before.

The Dnevnik 20 index, calculated by local business daily Dnevnik from the share prices of the 20 leading companies in terms of liquidity and market capitalisation, rose 0.85% to 64.34 points after dropping 0.75% on Tuesday.

(1 euro=1.95583 Bulgarian levs)