Bulgarian stock indices close mixed amid surge in turnover

Fertiliser maker Neochim [BUL:NEOH] was the biggest loser among the blue-chips, declining 1.40% to 42.20 levs. The runner-up was Doverie United Holding [BUL:DUH], which went down 1.25% to 7.90 levs.

The top blue-chip gainer for the second day straight was First Investment Bank, or Fibank, [BUL:FIB], which jumped 5.82% to 2.00 levs in a trading volume of 40,388.

The BGBX40 index, which tracks the 40 most traded shares on the Sofia bourse, was the other one to finish in the red, down 0.12% to 138.57 points. Its weak performance was driven by a 4.20% drop at poultry producer Gradus [BUL:GR6] to 1.37 levs and a 3.45% loss in gambling operator Telematic Interactive Bulgaria [BUL:TIB] to 15.40 levs.

Fibank's rise, along with a 5.32% leap in Industrial Holding Bulgaria [BUL:IHB] to 1.98 levs, helped the BGTR30 index to remain in green territory. The BGTR30, in which companies with a free float of at least 10% have equal weight, ticked up 0.30% to 729.41 points.

The BGREIT index, which tracks seven real estate investment trusts, rose the most in the trading session, gaining 0.39% to 182.30 points. This was mostly due to a 1.40% increase in Super Borovetz Property Fund REIT [BUL:SBPF] to 2.90 levs with 172,500 shares bought and sold.

With a turnover of some 9.78 million levs, or nearly half of the total, diversified group Synthetica [BUL:SYN] was the most liquid stock. It closed flat at 50.00 levs after 195,583 company shares changed hands.

Total turnover on the BSE's main market soared to over 17.8 million levs ($9.7 million/9.1 million euro) on Thursday compared to a mere 840,172 levs on Wednesday.

Contribution to the turnover was also made by Bulgarian honey-based products maker Mellifera [BUL:MEL1], which raised 1.06 million levs in its initial public offering (IPO) on the BEAM growth market of the BSE, after selling 241,782 shares at 4. 40 levs.

(1 euro = 1.95583 levs)