September 23 (SeeNews) - Bulgarian stocks gained modest ground in higher turnover on Wednesday as the market reopened after a four-day weekend, bourse data showed.
Monday was a non-working day in Bulgaria, bridging the weekend with the Independence Day holiday on Tuesday.
The SOFIX index, which comprises the 20 most liquid shares trading on the Bulgarian Stock Exchange (BSE), inched up 0.4% to 506.17 points. The broader BG40 index, which tracks the 40 most traded shares on the bourse, closed 0.95% higher at 135.77 points.
On Friday the SOFIX fell 1.40%, while the BG40 ended 1.98% lower.
Turnover, excluding block and other pre-agreed deals, rose to 4.05 million levs ($3.06 million/2.07 million euro) from Friday’s 3.7 million levs.
On Wednesday, gainers led decliners by 50 to 34, while nine stocks closed unchanged.
Twelve of the 20 SOFIX members closed higher, seven ended lower, and resort operator Albena was not traded.
The biggest gainer on the SOFIX was Bulgarian American Credit Bank, adding 6.17% to 21.50 levs in a volume of 2,315 stocks.
Fertiliser producer Neochim, not traded in the previous session, was the biggest blue-chip loser, falling 5.0% to 38.00 levs in a volume of 412 shares.
Insurance group Eurohold Bulgaria, a SOFIX newcomer, closed 3.89% lower at 1.73 levs as 36,719 shares changed hands. The second freshly-minted SOFIX component, construction company Trace Group Hold, ended 1.24% higher at 82.00 levs as 154 stocks changed hands.
The BSE replaced on September 23 two of its SOFIX members - fuels and building materials retailer Toplivo and insurer Euroins.
The most liquid company on Wednesday was Sopharma Logistics, a provider of logistics services for the pharmaceutical sector, which surged 16.28% to 0.85 levs in a volume of 225,905 shares.
The BG-REIT, which tracks the performance of real estate investment trusts, rose 0.99% to 48.79 points. The index was the only one to rise on Friday, gaining 1.28%. The BG TotalReturn30 index, in which companies with a free float of at least 10% have equal weight, added 1.09% to 375.64 points after a 0.84% drop on Friday.
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 by 1.76% to 73.47 points after falling by 0.78% in the previous trading session on Friday.
(1 euro=1.95583 Bulgarian levs)
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