Bulgarian Stock Indices Advance, Chimimport, Zarneni Hrani Boost Volumes

The SOFIX, which comprises the 20 most liquid shares trading on the Bulgarian Stock Exchange (BSE), rose 1.39% to 481.28 points and the broader BG40 index, which tracks the 40 most traded shares on the bourse, ended 0.66% higher at 129.42 points.

On Wednesday, the SOFIX rose 0.41% and the BG40 edged down 0.29%.

Turnover, excluding block and other pre-agreed deals, fell to 5.8 million levs ($4.3 million/3.0 million euro) from 6.7 million levs on the previous day when it was boosted by trade in bonds.

A total of 253,772 ordinary Chimimport shares, part of the SOFIX, changed hands, falling 0.65% to 2.6 levs. A total of 871,317 of the company's preferred shares were also traded, adding 0.62% to 2.6 levs.

Zarneni Hrani Bulgaria, majority-owned by Chimimport, was traded in a volume of 1,554,835 shares, ending 0.37% lower at 0.8 levs.

Advancers outnumbered fallers by 57 to 24 and 10 shares closed flat.

The BG-REIT index, tracking the performance of real estate investment trusts, inched 0.15% higher to 45.99 points. The bourse's BG TotalReturn30 index, in which companies with a free float of at least 10% have equal weight, climbed 2.03% to 356.21 points.

The BG-REIT surged 2.16% and the BG TotalReturn30 edged 0.49% higher on Wednesday.

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, picked up 2.52% to 69.5 points.

(1 euro=1.95583 Bulgarian levs)