October 30 (SeeNews) - Blue-chip lenders suffered a tough session on Tuesday and dragged the benchmark SOFIX index of the Bulgarian Stock Exchange back below the psychological barrier of 600 points.
The SOFIX ended Tuesday's session 0.82% lower at 597.44 points, as Central Cooperative Bank (CCB) [BUL:4CF] and First Investment Bank (Fibank) [BUL:5F4] fell most among all 15 blue chips.
CCB shares closed 3.40% lower at 1.565 levs, while Fibank shares lost 3.03% to 3.52 levs. Both companies are due to publish their interim non-consolidated financial reports for the first nine months of 2018 by the end of Wednesday.
In addition to the two lenders, blue-chip diversified group Chimimport [BUL:6C4], majority owner of CCB, posted a heavy 1.46% drop to 1.46 levs.
Drug maker Sopharma [BUL:3JR] posted the third sharpest decline on Tuesday, of 2.09% to 3.74 levs, after announcing that its non-consolidated net profit fell by an annual 30.4% to 27.7 million levs in January-September on the back of a 3.7% drop in sales revenue.
The wider BGBX40 index, which tracks the 40 most traded shares on the Sofia bourse, fell 0.62% to 116.93 points, dragged down by a 9.82% decrease in the share price of Faiplay Properties REIT [BUL:6F3]. Faiplay Properties shares gained 18.53% in the preceding trading session.
The BGREIT index, which tracks the performance of real estate investment trusts (REITs), lost 0.20% to 117.03 points, as its biggest constituent - Advance Terrafund REIT [BUL:6A6] lost 1.02% to 1.95 levs. All other components of the index closed unchanged.
The BGTR30 index, in which companies with a free float of at least 10% have equal weight, fell 0.36% to 499.41 points on Tuesday.
Diversified group Synergon Holding [BUL:6S7] fell most among BGTR30 constituents, losing 4.59% to a closing price of 1.04 levs per share. Synergon Holding shares led BGTR30 gainers in the preceding session with a 5.83% rise.
Total trading turnover on the regulated market of the bourse fell to 592,500 levs ($344,200/302,900 euro) on Tuesday from 724,600 levs on Monday.
(1 euro = 1.95583 levs)
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