The Bucharest Stock Exchange opened in red and stayed below the line in the first part of trading. By mid-day, most shares were already in positive territory but the increases were minor. However, they later gained more than 1% as US futures pointed to a strong opening on Wall Street, after profit announcements of major retailers.
Bucharest’s BET index rose 1.15% on the day to 4,757.87, while the bourse’s composite index BET-C gained 1.5% to 2,898.65.
BET-FI, the index tracking the five regional investment funds, or SIFs, and Fondul Proprietatea (FP.RO), closed up 2.5%, to 18,553.21, as the Proprietatea fund increased 0.4% and the SIFs rose 3.5% on average.
Wider blue-chip index BET-XT grew by 1.7% to 431.03, while the index tracking energy companies, BET-NG, gained 1.8%, to 659.21.
Trades unfolded Wednesday on the Bucharest bourse amounted to almost 40 million lei (EUR9.4 million), with some RON19 million coming from deal and main market trades in the Proprietatea fund.
OMV Petrom (SNP.RO) was one of the fewest major issuers that posted a decline, with its shares down 0.34% to RON0.319, on a traded value of RON5.8 million.
Banca Transilvania (TLV.RO) shares inched up 0.18% to RON1.102, on a traded value of RON2.5 million, while SIF Banat-Crisana (SIF1.RO) stock gained 2.52% on the day, to RON0.8135, on a traded value of RON0.9 million.
SIF Oltenia (SIF5.RO) rose 3% to RON1.066, while SIF Moldova (SIF2.RO) gained 3.45% to RON0.9385. Strong increases were also recorded by BRD-Groupe Societe Generale (BRD.RO), up 3.63%, and Alro Slatina (ALR.RO), up 3.24%. (EUR1=RON4.2609)