June 10 (SeeNews) - Significant gains in the shares of First Investment Bank (Fibank) [BUL:FIB] backed the blue-chip SOFIX index of the Bulgarian Stock Exchange (BSE) which closed 0.64% higher at 541.56 points on Thursday, bourse data showed.
Fibank added 8.28%. A total of 300 shares in the lender traded at an average price of 1.70 levs apiece on Thursday.
Resort operator Albena [BUL:ALB] and financial and insurance group Eurohold Bulgaria [BUL:EUBG] too put up a solid performance. Albena increased 3.21% to 32.2 levs and Eurohold Bulgaria appreciated 3.17% to 2.60 levs.
On Wednesday the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) said that it will extend up to 60 million euro ($73 million) in a senior loan to Eastern European Electric Company B.V. - a fully owned subsidiary of Eurohold Bulgaria to finance Eurohold's acquisition of the electricity assets of Czech energy group CEZ in Bulgaria as well as the 2022-2024 digitalisation and distribution network upgrade programme of power utility CEZ Distribution Bulgaria [BUL:CZD], which is part of those assets.
IoT products developer Allterco [BUL:A4L], which was one of the notable gainers among SOFIX members during the previous trading session, lost 1.15% on Thursday, thus becoming the top decliner among blue-chips.
The wider BGBX40 index, which tracks the 40 most traded shares on the Sofia bourse, advanced by 1.02% to 120.93 points, while the BGTR30 index, in which companies with a free float of at least 10% have equal weight, climbed up 1.16% to 580.47 points. Both indices were mostly backed by a 9.48% increase in the share price of diversified group Industrial Holding Bulgaria [BUL:IHB] and also by the gain in Fibank's shares.
Earlier this week, Industrial Holding Bulgaria said that its largest shareholder Bulls proposed to increase its stake to up to 58.3% by acquiring up to 25 million voting shares but no less than 15.8 million shares from other investors. Bulls, which holds interest of 35.02% in Industrial Holding Bulgaria, is now seeking to purchase an additional voting stake of up to 23.28%.
The BGREIT index, which tracks seven real estate investment trusts, erased 0.19% to 151.72 points mostly due to a 0.50% decline in Bulgarian Real Estate Fund [BUL:BREF].
Total regulated market turnover fell to some 69,600 levs ($43,300/35,600 euro) on Thursday from 106,700 levs on Wednesday.
(1 euro = 1.95583 levs)
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