Bulgarian Stocks Lose Ground, REITs Lift Turnover

The SOFIX index, which comprises the 20 most liquid shares trading on the Bulgarian Stock Exchange (BSE), inched 0.04% down to 481.53 points and the broader BG40 index, which tracks the 40 most traded shares on the bourse, ended 0.35% lower at 130.31 points.

Turnover, excluding block and other pre-agreed deals, rose to 2.5 million levs ($1.9 million/1.3 million euro) from Monday's 1.6 million levs.

Trade in REITs made up almost half of the daily turnover, totalling 1.26 million levs.

Bulgarian Real Estate Fund (BREF), ELARG Agricultural Land Opportunity Fund and Balkan and Sea Properties were the most liquid REITs.

A total of 531,075 BREF stocks changed hands, ending 0.25% higher at 0.4 levs. ELARG was traded in a volume of 128,220 shares, closing 0.75% higher at 0.94 levs. Balkan and Sea Properties closed unchanged at 11.82 levs as 33,840 stocks changed hands.

On Tuesday, gainers outnumbered decliners 43 to 39 and 12 shares closed flat.

The BG-REIT index, which tracks the performance of REITs, dropped 2.54% to 48.81 points and the BG TotalReturn30 index, in which companies with a free float of at least 10% have equal weight, lost 0.15% to 364.71 points.

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, gained 0.46% to 70.06 points.

(1 euro = 1.95583 Bulgarian levs)