Slovenian Stock Indices Sink Further, Track Global Slide

The blue-chip SBITOP index of the Ljubljana Stock Exchange (LJSE) tumbled 5.09% to 1,222.06 and the broader 15-share SBI20 index was down 4.86% to 5,454.67. The indices lost some two percent each on Wednesday after posting hefty gains at the beginning of this week when global markets rallied.

There is an overall volatility on the market, Franci Tusek, an analyst with local brokerage house Medvesek Pusnik, told SeeNews.

The tone for the LJSE on Friday will be set by overnight trends in the U.S., Tusek said.

“In times like these we don’t have to panic but to look forward,” he added.

Food retailer Mercator was the top blue-chip decliner on Thursday, plunging 8.53% to an average price of 177.62 euro ($239) on turnover of some 207,000 euro. It was followed by blue-chip port operator Luka Koper, which sank 7.64% to 38.58 euro on some 206,000 euro of turnover.

Shares of heavyweight blue-chip drug maker Krka tumbled 5.31% to 67.79 euro on turnover of 2.05 million euro.

LJSE's total turnover more than doubled to 11.53 million euro on Thursday from 4.85 million euro on Wednesday, mainly due to 7.34 million euro turnover on the bond market.

($ = 0.7435 euro)