January 4 (SeeNews) - The Bulgarian Stock Exchange benchmark SOFIX index extended its losing run since the start of 2019 to three consecutive sessions as blue-chip lenders suffered a heavy bruising on Friday.
The SOFIX, which tracks the 15 most liquid and capitalised stocks on the Sofia bourse, ended 0.94% lower at 579.83 points on Friday, extending its losses for the year to 2.46%.
First Investment Bank (Fibank) [BUL:5F4] and Central Cooperative Bank (CCB) [BUL:4CF] fell most among SOFIX members on Friday.
On December 31, the European Central Bank (ECB) completed a comprehensive assessment of the two lenders, which included an asset quality review and a stress test.
In November, the ECB launched a comprehensive assessment of six banks in Bulgaria, including Fibank and CCB, as part of the process of establishing close cooperation on supervision with the country's central bank. Results are expected to be published in July.
Fibank shares closed 3.77% lower at 3.32 levs on Friday, erasing all of their gains from the preceding trading session.
CCB lost 2.99% to 1.30 levs, marking its lowest close since November 2016.
Total trading turnover on the regulated market of the Sofia bourse increased to 855,000 levs ($498,000/437,000 euro) on Friday from 276,000 levs on Thursday.
Trade in shares in financial and insurance group Eurohold Bulgaria [BUL:4EH] generated over 80% of the daily regulated market turnover on Friday, as 435,400 shares in the company changed hands in 33 deals.
Fertiliser producer Neochim [BUL:3NB] fell most among BSE-listed stocks, losing 9.88% to 29.2 levs and dragging the BGBX40 and the BGTR30 indices lower at the end of the session.
The BGBX40, which tracks the 40 most traded shares on the Sofia bourse, dropped 0.97% to 113.46 points, while the BGTR30 index, in which companies with a free float of at least 10% have equal weight, shedded 1.23% to 485.67 points.
The BGREIT index lost 0.09% to 120.83 points on Friday due to a 1.01% decrease in the share price of its biggest member by market capitalisation - Advance Terrafund REIT [BUL:6A6]. The drop in Advance Terrafund REIT's share price was partially offset by a 0.53% rise in the share price of Bulgarian Real Estate Fund REIT [BUL:5BU].
The BGREIT, which tracks real estate investment trusts listed both on the regulated market and BaSE Alternative Market of the Sofia bourse, ended 2018 at an all-time high of 121.07 points.
(1 euro = 1.95583 levs)
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