SOFIA (Bulgaria), August 21 (SeeNews) – The share indices of the Bulgarian Stock Exchange (BSE) rose as turnover nudged lower on Friday, bourse data showed.
The SOFIX, which comprises the 20 most liquid shares trading on the BSE, rose 1.46% to 443.2 points. The broader BG40 index, which tracks the 40 most traded shares on the bourse, rose 0.78% to 125.71 points.
The SOFIX fell 0.20% and the BG40 index rose 0.95% on Thursday.
Turnover, excluding block and other pre-agreed deals, fell slightly to 1.712 million levs ($1.25 million/876,000 euro) from 1.766 million levs a day earlier.
On Friday, 45 stocks ended higher, 25 lost ground and 14 closed flat.
Sixteen of the 20 blue chips gained ground, three ended lower, and one was not traded on Friday.
Fertiliser producer Neochim was the biggest SOFIX gainer on Friday, adding 6.45% to 33.0 levs in a volume of 459 shares. Neochim took most points off the SOFIX on Thursday, dropping 4.02%. Blue-chip real estate investment trust (REIT) ELARG Agricultural Land Opportunity Fund was the second-best blue-chip performer, surging 6.38% to 0.90 levs in a volume of 10,982 shares.
Industrial Holding Bulgaria was the top SOFIX decliner, falling 2.34% to 2.0 levs in a volume of 12,080 shares.
Blue chip Central Cooperative Bank was the most traded company. On Friday the lender added 2.55% to 1.57 levs in a volume of 331,129 shares.
The bourse's BG TotalReturn30 index, in which companies with a free float of at least 10% have equal weight, rose 1.10% to 333.07 points after a 0.70% rise on Thursday.
The BG-REIT index, tracking the performance of REITs, was the top advancer for a second day in a row, adding 2.54% to 42.78 points after climbing 1.48% on Thursday.
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 1.24% to 65.26 points, after a gain of 0.19% on Thursday.
(1 euro=1.95583 Bulgarian levs)