Sofia bourse indices close mixed in pre-holiday lull

The blue-chip SOFIX edged up 0.03% to 740.97 points, as gains in Bulgarian Real Estate Fund REIT [BUL:BREF] and Central Cooperative Bank [BUL:CCB] offset losses in First Investment Bank [BUL:FIB] and pharmaceuticals producer Sopharma [BUL:SFA], bourse data showed.

Bulgarian Real Estate Fund increased 0.80% to 2.52 levs, while Central Cooperative Bank added 0.65% to 1.55 levs.

At the same time Fibank erased 0.68% to 2.92 levs and Sopharma lost 1.04% to 5.72 levs.

Sopharma was also the most traded company as 51,330 shares changed hands.

The broader BGBX40 index, which tracks the 40 most traded shares on the Sofia bourse, and the BGTR30, in which companies with a free float of at least 10% have equal weight, ended in negative territory. BGBX40 declined 0.12% to 154.42 points, while BGTR30 fell 0.09% to 786.60 points

The BGREIT, which tracks seven real estate investment trusts, continued its positive streak and added a further 0.25% to 191.71 points, backed by Bulgarian Real Estate Fund and Advance Terrafund REIT [BUL:6A6]. Advance Terrafund went up 0.61% to 3.3 levs.

Finally, the BEAMX, which tracks the ten most highly capitalised growth companies, added 0.12% to 102.59 points.

Total turnover on the main market of the Sofia bourse plunged to some 816,000 levs ($460,000/418,000 euro) on Friday from some 1.2 million levs on Thursday.

(1 euro = 1.95583 levs)