Sofia stock indices advance, Fibank drives gains

The benchmark index was propped up by an 8.39% surge in First Investment Bank, or Fibank, [BUL:FIB] to 3.36 levs and a 2.63% advance in hydraulic equipment manufacturer M+S Hydraulic [BUL:MSH] to 11.70 levs.

The two companies also boosted the BGBX40, which tracks the 40 most traded shares on the Sofia bourse, by 0.85% to 166.53 points. The index was additionally supported by fertiliser producer Neochim [BUL:NEOH], which added 4.21% to 19.80 levs.

The BGTR30 index, in which companies with a free float of at least 10% have equal weight, grew by 0.55% to 822.00 points on the back of the increases at Fibank and M+S Hydraulic. It was further lifted by a 2.06% climb in IoT products maker Shelly Group [BUL:SLYG] to 69.40 levs.

A 0.81% gain in Bulgarian Real Estate Fund REIT [BUL:BREF] to 2.50 levs spurred on the BGREIT. The index, which tracks seven real estate investment trusts, ended the session 0.15% higher at 189.68 points.

Finally, the BEAMX index, which tracks the ten most highly capitalised growth companies, leapt 1.13% to 97.76 points, following a 4.11% rise in venture capital firm Webit Investment Network [BUL:WIN] to 0.76 levs.

Total turnover on the main market of the Sofia bourse halved to 660,658 levs ($361,367/337,788 euro) on Tuesday from some 1.2 million levs on Thursday. Friday and Monday were non-working days.

Fibank generated the highest turnover of the day, at 288,631 levs as 85,902 shares traded.

(1 euro = 1.95583 levs)