Most Sofia bourse indices fall, Fibank paces blue-chip losers

The benchmark index was hit by a 2.27% fall in First Investment Bank [BUL:FIB], or Fibank, to 2.58 levs and a 0.83% slip in Bulgarian Real Estate Fund REIT [BUL:BREF] to 2.38 levs.

Fibank also set back the BGBX40 index, which tracks the 40 most traded shares on the Sofia bourse, by 0.02% to 156.98 points. The constituent that declined the most was Industrial Capital Holding [BUL:HIKA], dropping by 6.67% to 2.80 levs.

The BGREIT, which tracks seven real estate investment trusts, slumped by 1.28% to 186.87 points on the back of the loss at BREF. The index, however, was mostly constrained by real estate investment trust Sopharma Buildings REIT [BUL:SFB], which plunged by 14.00% to 17.20 levs.

The BEAMX index, which tracks the ten most highly capitalised growth companies, ended the session 0.25% lower at 99.02 points. It was dragged down by MFG Invest [BUL:MFG], which shed 3.33% to 2.90 levs, and investment firm ImPulse I [BUL:IMP], which sank by 2.44% to 1.20 levs.

In contrast, the BGTR30, in which companies with a free float of at least 10% have equal weight, grew by 0.15% to 782.41 points. The index was boosted by a 3.08% leap at diversified group Chimimport [BUL:CHIM] to 0.67 levs and a 1.98% climb in diversified group Stara Planina Hold [BUL:SPH] to 10.30 levs.

The top stock by turnover was pharmaceuticals maker Sopharma [BUL:SFA], which generated 608,875 levs ($340,296/311,312 euro) with 85,757 shares traded. The stock closed 0.28% lower at 7.10 levs.

Total turnover on the main market of the Sofia bourse jumped to roughly 3.3 million levs on Friday from some 1.95 million levs on Thursday.

(1 euro=1.95583 levs)