LJUBLJANA (Slovenia), December 17 (SeeNews) – The Slovenian blue-chip SBITOP index rose for a second day running on Monday, gaining 0.15% to 2,501.62, while the broader 15-share SBI20 index ended unchanged at 11.314,57, brokers said.
“There was nothing special in terms of the general trend on the bourse [on Monday]. There was nothing new,” Bine Pangrsic, an analyst with local brokerage house Medvesek Pusnik, told SeeNews. He expects the market to hover around its current levels until the end of this week.
“NKBM is still rising [...] For the time being it is going its own way. It does not influence the SBI20 index and the SBI20 index does not influence it,” Pangrsic said.
Shares in Nova Kreditna Banka Maribor (NKBM), the country’s second largest bank by assets, gained 1.64% to an average price of 40.38 euro ($59) on Monday in the day’s highest turnover of 3.903 million euro. NKBM shares have gained 10.3% since last Monday, when they started trading on the LJSE, but are not yet part of either index.
Earlier this month the Slovenian government set the final price of NKBM's initial public offering (IPO) at 27 euro per share, at the very top of the indicative price range. The IPO was the first to be held on the LJSE in eight years and market analysts expected it would energise the stagnating bourse.
“After NKBM the bourse has become more interesting. I am an optimist also for the future,” Pangrsic said.
Drug maker Krka was the biggest gainer among the blue chips on Monday, rising 0.82% to 123.09 euro. Household appliance manufacturer Gorenje was the biggest loser among the blue chips, falling 1.21% to 43.41 euro.
Total turnover fell slightly to 11.13 million euro on Monday from 11.19 million on Friday.
($ = 0.68 euro)