Bulgarian banks amassed BGN 1.318 billion in profit from January to November, up 25.8% from the same period of 2007, showed central bank data. The profit is expected to surge to BGN 1.5 billion for the full 2008. Attracted resources switched back to steady growth gaining BGN 90.338 million during the eleven months of the year to BGN 60.186 billion after shrinking by BGN 831.8 million in October as the global financial gloom and doom had both households and companies scrambling to withdraw deposits. In December, corporate deposits dropped by a tiny BGN 40.3 million compared to BGN 924.5 million in October against a respective 12 months before. Such minor fluctuations in attracted resources are an indication of strong confidence in the Bulgarian banking system despite the global financial uncertainty, the Bulgarian National Bank said in a statement. Household deposits made the biggest contribution of 36.2% to banks’ attracted resources. Resources from non-lending companies and institutions accounted for 31%. Resources from lending institutions picked up 3.5% on the month. The combined assets of Bulgarian banks hit BGN 68.8 billion in November 2998, posting a 25% rise over the year and up BGN 164 million on the month after shrinking BGN 737.3 million month-on-month in October.
Source: Dnevnik (05.01.2009)

Global credit rating agency Moody's said it has lowered the outlook on the Bulgarian banking system from “stable” to “negative” on worries about the market’s fundamental credit conditions in the next 12 to 18 months. The agency also changed to “negative” the outlook on the deposit ratings of DSK and Raiffeisenbank Bulgaria and on all ratings of First Investment Bank and MKB Unionbank. The change in the credit outlook on Bulgaria's banking system and the outlook on the ratings of individual banks, reflects the weakening operating environment in Bulgaria and expectations that it will have a severe impact on the banks' financial fundamentals, mainly profitability and asset quality, said Elena Panayiotou, a Moody's Analyst, and lead analyst for Bulgarian banks.
Source: Dnevnik (16.01.2009)

B SE continues its downward movement in the first sessions of 2009 and after yesterday average daily loss in capitalisation reached BGN 91.135 million, analysis of Pari daily showed. For the 14 sessions since the beginning of 2009, market valuation dropped by BGN 1.276 billion, or 10.24%, compared to the end of 2008. The liquid companies are the most affected as investors sell their shares for need of money. Negative expectations for the global economy lead to the slump.
Source: Pari (23.01.2009)

For a month, three banks offered promotions of credits for individuals. First Investment Bank was the first with Friend Credit that aims at financing running needs of clients with up to BGN 30,000 for 30 years at 15.7% interest. Reiffaisenbank offers maximum BGN 5,000 for five years. SG Expressbank was the third that launched consumer Expresso Credit for up to BGN 30,000 for a 5-year term of payment.
Source: Pari (11.03.2009)

The indexes continued their upward movement. The blue-chip Sofix added 0.78% to 280.21 points. The broad BG40 of the most traded stocks appreciated 1.38% and closed at 91.23 basic points. BGREIT of real estate investment trusts rose by 0.46% to 49.57 points. BGTR30 of the best performers in total return jumped by 2.23% to 205.24 basic points. Turnover registered two-fold drop to BGN 600,500.
Source: Pari (12.03.2009)

BGTR30 of the best performers in total return added 4% to 207.98 points. The blue-chip Sofix was second with a 2.30% jump to 277.93 basis points. The broader BG40 of the most traded stocks rose by 1.74% to 88.27 points and BGREIT of real estate investment trusts appreciated 0.92% to 38.48 points. Total turnover was BGN 6 million and market capitalisation rose by BGN 13 million to BGN 9.581 billion.
Source: Pari (25.03.2009)

Pessimism concerning movement of shares on BSE increased, Pari daily’s regular Bullish Bearish Sentiment inquiry shows. Despite the record rise of Sofix’s value last week of 5.7% week on week, pessimists increased by 13% to 21%. Only 58% of the brokers believe in the upward movement of the blue-chip index and 21% are of the opinion that the benchmark will remain unchanged.
Source: Pari (30.03.2009)

The bears put an end to the positive performance of the indexes. The blue-chip Sofix dropped by 3.18% to 302.87 basis points. The broad BG40 of the most traded stocks fell by 2.15% to 89.29 points. BGTR30 of the best performers in total return lost 2.01% of its value to 224.27 points. BGREIT of real estate investment trusts dipped by 1.20% and closed at 40.64 points. Total turnover exceeded BGN 3.4 million and capitalisation fell under BGN 10 billion.
Source: Pari (08.04.2009)

Within a month shares of Emka JSC, Devin JSC, First Investment Bank JSC, Chimimport JSC, Agro finance REIT, Industrial Holding Bulgaria JSC, Kaolin JSC, Varna Holding JSC, Industrial Capital Holding JSC and Stara Planina Hold JSC gained between 25 and 60 per cent. Despite the sharp increase in price, most of the equities are traded on average at 80 per cent of their top level from the end of 2007. It is hard to say whether the red wave is behind us and this is the beginning of a new long-term upward trend.
Source: Trud (10.04.2009)

The company is registered in Territorial administration Big taxpayers and insurers towards 2009, 04.30
Source: Tax Administration (30.04.2009)

The green wave on the international stock markets swept over Bulgarian Stock Exchange (BSE) and all four indexes grew. The blue-chip Sofix jumped the most by 6.51% to 381.85 points. BGTR30 of the best performers in total return added 5.66% to its value and closed at 277.23 basis points. The broad BG40 of the most traded stocks rose by 3.22% to 102.81 points. BGREIT of real estate investment trusts gained 1.85% to 39.71 p.
Source: Pari (08.05.2009)

The indexes kept the festive mood and closed on green territory. The blue-chip Sofix grew by 0.40% to 383.39 points. The broad BG40 of the most traded stocks added 2.36% to 105.24 basis points. BGREIT of real estate investment trusts closed at 39.73 points, up by 0.05%. BGTR30 of the best performers in total return rose by 0.99% to 279.97 basis points. Market capitalisation reached BGN 11.22 billion and total turnover was BGN 2.7 million.
Source: Pari (11.05.2009)

The end of the week brought rise to the indexes. The broad BG40 of the most traded stocks added 2.12% to 104.83 points. BGTR30 of the best performers in total return rose by 0.71% to 281.74 points. BGREIT of real estate investment trusts gained 0.40% to 39.74 points. The blue-chip Sofix was the last to go up by 0.35% to 377.65 points. The total turnover was less than BGN 1 million and the reason is the unknown direction for the development of the market, brokers commented.
Source: Pari (25.05.2009)

Negative sentiments concerning Sofix are rising among 40% of the brokers while expecting the consolidated reports for the first quarter of the year, Pari daily’s Bullish Bearish Sentiment inquiry shows. Optimists dropped almost two-fold to 27%. Those that believe the blue-chip will remain unchanged decreased from 50% last month to 33%.
Source: Pari (25.05.2009)

Moody's Predicts Bankruptcy of Firms in Bulgaria The problems of the enterprises will have a negative effect on the banks in Bulgaria, experts from the international rating agency Moody's Investors Service believe. As the economy is falling into recession "the possibility of corporative bankruptcies grows" and can lead to "an increase of losses in the corporative credit portfolio of the banks", commented Elena Panayotou, analyst at Moody's. The overdue liabilities on consumers' credits in Bulgarian banks are expected to rise due to the increased unemployment rates and the drop of real estate prices, the agency considers.
Source: Standart (27.05.2009)

The credits given by the First Investment Bank (FIB) for the first quarter of this year are by BGN 44 million more and the deposits added BGN 28 million, the financial director of the bank Radoslav Milenkov said. Profit of the bank dropped by 16% to BGN 12.770 million for the corresponding period compared to the same period of 2008. Capital adequacy of the financial institution is 12.97% compared to the average 14.8% for the sector.
Source: Pari (02.06.2009)

BGREIT of real estate investment trusts was the only one to remain in the bears' hug and lost 0.57% to 39.80 basis points. All other indexes closed up. The blue-chip Sofix added 0.70% to 384.75 points. The broader BG40 of the most traded stocks gained 0.18% to 105.49 basis points and BGTR30 of the best performers in total return grew by 0.68% to 284.30 points. Total turnover was BGN 1.34 million.
Source: Pari (03.06.2009)

Printcom 2009, the International Exhibition of Printing Communications, was opened at the International Plovdiv Fair with 193 companies from 24 countries. This year the foreign participants are 140, or by 9% more than last year. For the first time WebExpo exhibition is organised for on-line media, websites, internet groups, marketing etc. Bulgarian printing and publishing industry holds 1.5% of the gross domestic product.
Source: Pari (03.06.2009)

Bulgaria's printing industry has been growing twice faster than the other industries in the country over the last five years, and produces about 1,5% of the Bulgarian GDP. This was announced Tuesday by Petar Kanev, Chair of the Bulgarian Printing Industry Union, at the opening of the 11th edition of the international exhibition Printkom 2009 in the southern city of Plovdiv. According to Kanev, the printing industry employs about 12 000 people, and provides one of the highest average salaries in Bulgaria, and the country imports over BGN 500 M worth of printing and packaging paper. Kanev also noted that in the last ten years Plovdiv has become the largest hub of the Bulgarian printing industry surpassing the capital Sofia. 193 firms from 24 countries are taking part in the Printkom 2009 fair; 140 of the firms are from abroad which is a 10% increase compared to 2008. For the first time, Printkom also includes another exhibit, WebExpo, where web designers, online stores, computer firms, Internet groups, and Web 2.0 sites are presented.
Source: econ.bg (03.06.2009)

First Investment Bank-Sofia, Bourse code First Investment Bank, the General Meeting of which was held on May 29 2009, shall not distribute dividends for 2008. First Investment Bank-Sofia reported a profit to the amount of BGN 50 931 000.
Source: Capital market (03.06.2009)

A total of 644,000 shares, or 99.07% of the capital of Serdika Properties REIT , changed hands in a single transaction on the Bulgarian Stock Exchange (BSE) today. The turnover on the position amounted to 18.03 mln leva, or 91.8% of BSE's overall turnover on the day. The traded volume on the position of Chimimport exceeded 100,000 shares in second straight day. The stock of the company was traded at prices ranging between 2.22 and 2.33 leva per share. Chimimport has the lowest P/E among the 20 companies included in the calculation of the SOFIX blue-chip index. The bankings stocks ended today's session mixed. First Investment Bank advanced by 1.2%, to 2.53 leva per share. Bulgarian-American Credit Bank and Central Cooperative Bank slipped by 0.32 and 0.27%, to 62.05 and 1.46 leva per share, respectively. Nearly 10,000 shares in Holding Roads traded hands on the day. The stock depreciated by 0.81%, to 2.93 leva per share, while Monbat's stock price went down by 0.45%, to 4.68 leva per share.
Source: profit.bg (05.06.2009)

Ten Bulgarian companies are included in the Dow Jones index of the Federation of Euro-Asian Stock Exchanges (FEAS). These are Sopharma JSC, Chimimport JSC, Corporate Commercial Bank JSC, Zarneni Hrani Bulgaria JSC, Monbat JSC, First Investment Bank, Industrial Holding Bulgaria, Advance TerraFund REIT, Doverie - United Holding JSC and Albena JSC. Indices include also public companies from other countries in the region from the Istanbul Stock Exchange, Belgrade Stock Exchange, Zagreb Stock Exchange and Macedonian Stock Exchange. One of the criteria by which companies are chosen, is their market capitalization. The purpose of these indices is to attract a larger number of investors.
Source: Monitor (08.06.2009)

O ne single deal with 314,000 shares of First Investment Bank (FIB) formed 47% of the turnover of the Bulgarian Stock Exchange on Friday. The price was BGN 2.48 per share. This has been the biggest deal of the financial institution for the last eight months. FIB is among the leaders concerning liquidity on BSE and its stocks are being traded every day. The price has grown by 118% over the last three months.
Source: Pari (08.06.2009)

Bulgarian Development Bank (BDB) said it has contracted BGN 64 million in financing for agricultural producers through 11 financial institutions. The list is composed of ProCredit Bank, MKB Unionbank, Allianz Bank Bulgaria, International Asset Bank, D Commerce Bank, First Investment Bank (FIB), Central Cooperative Bank (CCB), Tokuda Bank, United Bulgarian Bank (UBB), Investbank and Societe Generale Expressbank. BDB is now holding negotiations with four more lenders including DSK Bank, Piraeus Bank, Investbank and Cibank. In May commercial banks signed 111 loan agreements to farmers to the tune of more than BGN 18 million. UBB has agreed the heftiest credit line of BGN 15 million. ProCredit Bank has obtained a BGN 10 million line of credit. Six banks have received BGN 5 million each. BDB started to extend dedicated credit lines to provide operating cash to farmers at the beginning of May 2009. Commercial banks will pass on to agricultural producers up to BGN 500,000 each. The interest rate throughout the loan period is fixed at 7.5% and the repayment period reaches up to 18 months.
Source: Dnevnik (08.06.2009)

The downward trend on Bulgarian Stock Exchange (BSE) followed the tendency in Asia and Europe. BGTR30 of the best performers in total return dropped the most, 2.26% to 270.52 points. The blue-chip Sofix followed it losing 1.29% to 366.26 points. The broad BG40 of the most traded stocks fell by 0.92% to 103.09 p. BGREIT of real estate investment trusts was down by only 0.40% to 39.84 p.
Source: Pari (16.06.2009)

First Investment Bank (FIB) is approved as a partner of the GSM-102 American programme for the Southeast Balkans, the financial institution announced. The GSM-102 programme was founded with the purpose to ease agricultural product export to the USA and operates with USD 25 million for the countries in the regions. Since October 2008, it has helped for the conclusion of deals worth USD 3.6 billion.
Source: Pari (16.06.2009)

Total turnover was at the minimum on the Bulgarian Stock Exchange (BSE), BGN 1.5 million. Two banks were the most active concerning trade. First Investment Bank was the most liquid with 247,007 shares at BGN 2.18 each, followed by Central Cooperative Bank with 44,757 stocks sold. The new Bioiasis AD lost ? of its value. The second company hit by the bears was Exclusive Property REIT with 10-percent value loss.
Source: Pari (18.06.2009)

The international credit rating agency Fitch has increased the support rating of Bulgaria's First Investment Bank (FIB) from 5 to 3. The Pari Daily reported that FIB's other ratings were confirmed as follows: Long-term Issuer Default (LT IDR) at 'BB-'; Short-term IDR at 'B'; Individual at 'D'. Fitch also raised FIB's Support Rating Floor, which directly connected with the support rating, from 'BB-' to 'No Floor'. According to Fitch, the increased rating of the First Investment Bank reflects the significance of the bank as the largest Bulgarian-owned bank.
Source: Darik Radio (24.06.2009)

T he National Guarantee Fund (NGF), which is a subsidiary of Bulgarian Bank for Development, signed an agreement with five commercial banks for portfolio guarantees worth BGN 50 million, Sevtlin Statkov, the fund's executive director, announced. The main goal of NGF is to ease the access of small and medium-sized companies in Bulgaria to credits. It will cover up to 50% of the credit risk and the rest 50% will be covered by the partnering bank.
Source: Pari (24.06.2009)

Active sale of bonds featured Monday's trade on the Bulgarian Stock Exchange. Investors exchanged debt papers of 18 companies, the absolute leaders being Raiffeisenbank Bulgaria and Piraeus Bank Bulgaria, each of which sold 100 bonds with a EUR 1,000 par value. Shares remained the most traded security. Nearly 1 million lots in Bulland Investments changed hands.
Source: Pari (28.07.2009)

Deals for BGN 1.8 million, or 77% of the total turnover on BSE, were on the OTC market yesterday. The indexes continued their fall. The blue-chip Sofix lost 0.40% to 347.35 points. The broad BG40 of the most traded stocks finished at 98.03 basis points, down by 0.96%. BGREIT of real estate investment trusts dropped by 0.99% and closed at 40.08 points. BGTR30 of the best performers in total return declined by 0.36% to 263.73 points.
Source: Pari (30.07.2009)

Notorious Valentin Mollov has been suspected for a huge misuse concerning the Bulgarian State Railways (BDZ). Alvex Company from Zug, Switzerland, sold old train cars to the Bulgarian State Railways for 16 million euro. The deal was contracted thanks to the former owner of now bankrupt First Private Bank - Valentin Mollov. He arranged that the Bulgarian State Railways bought German carriages manufactured in the beginning of the 1970s which were prepared for scrap against 20,000 euro a piece. The Bulgarian experts were "encouraged" to approve of the carriages as they were sent on a business trip together with their families. On July 28, 2008 the Bulgarian State Railways contracted a purchase of 30 carriages at the price of 556,500 euro per one VAT excluded. Thus, for all 30 carriages the BDZ paid 16.695 million euro VAT excluded. And Mollov pocketed the fantastic 2800% profit. The carriages are more dangerous than the ones which burnt near Cherven Briag in February 2008 and took human lives. The first of them put in use have already shown defects.
Source: Standart (17.08.2009)

The blue-chip Sofix index of the Bulgarian Stock Exchange (BSE) overcame its morning false start and closed the session as the most successful index. The benchmark added 0.72% to its value, climbing up to 439.95 points. BG40 rose 0.58% to 124.12 points. BGTR30 of the best performers in total return reached 328.32, up 0.24%. BGREIT erased its morning gains and dipped 0.52% to 41.75 points.
Source: Pari (19.08.2009)

Gamakabel will apply for a EUR 10 million credit from First Investment Bank, the shareholders decided at their general meeting on September 1, 2009. The loan will be used for investments and current means. The cable and conductor manufacturer booked a BGN 211,000 profit for the last year but the stockholders voted against distributing it as dividends. The company's capital amounts at BGN 1.2 million.
Source: Pari (08.09.2009)

Bulgarian banks have signed contracts on 90% of the EUR 80 million line of credit they got by the Bulgarian Development Bank (BDB) to make loans to agricultural producers, the institution said. During a four-month period, lenders have approved 517 loans worth more than BGN 72 million combined. Fourteen commercial banks have signed up to the credit line by the state-run institution including ProCredit Bank, MKB Unionbank, Allianz Bank, International Asset Bank, D Commerce Bank, First Investment Bank (FIBank), Central Cooperative Bank (CCB), Tokuda Bank, United Bulgarian Bank (UBB), Investbank, Societe Generale Expressbank, Cibank, DSK Bank and Piraeus Bank.
Source: Dnevnik (08.09.2009)

The total income of the listed road construction companies increased 6% year on year, consolidated reports for the first six months of 2009 show. Turnover of Trace Group Hold AD, Roads Holding AD and Moststroy AD for the half-year period reached BGN 94 million, compared to BGN 88.9 million a year ago. All three companies logged a consolidated loss of BGN 6.7 million, up 104%.
Source: Pari (24.09.2009)

Fresh from rescheduling EUR 28 million loans with local First Investment Bank (FIBank), Bulgarian blue-chip infrastructure group Holding Roads said on Friday it has inked annexes to a credit agreement with Swiss bank UBS to extend the repayment period until Mart 2012 and reschedule payments. Earlier this week, the group announced it has rescheduled a EUR 13 million overdraft credit facility with FIBank earmarked for working capital plus a EUR 15 million conditional credit to secure bank guarantees.
Source: Dnevnik (26.09.2009)

The blue chips lost 2.63% of their value, falling to 478.30 points on Monday. BG40 of the most traded stocks closed at 131.87 points, down 1.37%. BGREIT of real estate investment trusts fell 1.81% to 47.79 points. BGTR30 of the best performers in total return went down 2.04% to 360.43 points. Total turnover was BGN 4.17 million and deals with Chimimport's shares made up 40% of it.
Source: Pari (29.09.2009)

The shareholders of First Investment Bank (FIB) decided not to pay out dividends and capitalise the whole profit for the first half of 2009 at an extraordinary general meeting. Thus FIB becomes the first financial institution to take this step. The profit stood at BGN 19.1 million on June 30, 2009, down 21% year on year. Net interest income fell 28.8% to BGN 54.8 million.
Source: Pari (29.09.2009)

Shares of banks and financial companies have been the most traded on the Bulgarian Stock Exchange (BSE) in 2009, a comparison of BSE's quarterly bulletins shows. The Top 5 most liquid ones are Central Cooperative Bank, Chimimport, First Investment Bank, Eurohold Bulgaria and Roads Holding. They hold respectively 32.76%, 38.93% and 35% of all transactions in the first three quarters.
Source: Pari (12.10.2009)

Elenite posted a BGN 37,000 loss for the first nine months of 2009, the non-consolidated report shows. For the year-ago period Elenite's loss amounted to BGN 76,000. The operating income of the tourism company decreased three-fold to BGN 3,000 this year. Itemised expenses fell 52% to BGN 40,000. Majority owner of Elenite is Elenite Invest management buy-out company (75%).
Source: Pari (12.10.2009)

T he profits of listed banks slumped in the third quarter of 2009, the reports of Corporate Commercial Bank (KTB), Bulgarian American Credit Bank (BACB), Economic and Investment Bank (EIBank), First Investment Bank (FIB) and Central Cooperative Bank (CCB) show. The situation gets uglier when the strong profit drop of bond issuer Eurobank EFG Bulgaria is taken into account. CCB's profit for Jul-Sep more than quadrupled on the preceding quarter to BGN 2.7 million. Year on year the bank posted a 1.7-percent rise to BGN 10.4 million. FIB logged a 31.8-percent increase on a quarterly basis to BGN 8.5 million. For the first nine months of the year, though, its earnings declined 21.3% to BGN 27.6 million. KTB boasted 40-percent year-on-year profit growth for the nine-month period. However its quarterly results edged down 0.04% to BGN 13.7 million. KTB does not allocate provisions, that is why its earnings increase on a yearly basis, Karoll's financial analyst Kamelia Lazarova said. EIBank's Q3 profit fell 16% to BGN 579,000. For Jan-Sep the bank netted BGN 9.8 million, down 53.25% on the year-ago period. The biggest decrease was registered by BACB. For the first nine months the bank's profit dropped 45.6% to BGN 23.9 million. Quarter on quarter, profit slumped 98.23% to BGN 181,000. The decrease in banks' profits is due to the worsening of their credit portfolios and the need to allocate more provisions, Bultrend Brokerage's Vladimir Malchev said.
Source: Pari (02.11.2009)

Symbolic Astoria sold for debts Astoria palace- the hotel, which is a symbol of Golden sands was sold yesterday at a public auction for the record BGN 5.6 million. The legendary complex, owned by Sofia-based Djankovi bros.’ company Capsy tours was traded because of unpaid debts to First investment bank. The announced starting price was to the amount of BGN 3 091 350, while mortgage towards the treasury amounted to EUR 2.45 million- both principal and interests. Seven candidates participated in the auction with secret offers. The bank insisted on a secret auction for media’s representatives. The new owner should pay in a month’s time. The complex is considered to have been sold at a fantastic price. Astoria hotel is obsolete enough and this summer it wasn’t open at all. It is sold without the land but with granted right to build. The hotel is situated in the center of the resort, close to the beach. The total built-up area is 2156 square meters.
Source: Standart (11.11.2009)

The Commission for Protection of Competition (CPC) allowed the owner of First Investment Bank (FIBank), Sofia Opportunity, to acquire First Financial Brokerage House (FFBH), the anti-trust body said. Sofia Opportunity is owned 50:50 by Tseko Minev and Ivaylo Mutafchiev. Commercial register data show that FFBH is property of Pratiko Inter EOOD, which in turn is held by Pratiko Inter AD of Switzerland. Pratiko Inter acquired FFBH from Minev and Mutafchiev in 2003. Sofia Opportunity deals with production, trade, commission, logistics, leasing etc. FFBH provides financial and investment services, consultancy and foreign exchange deals. The deal will result in FIBank's expanding its portfolio of services to include financial advisory and financial analyses. According to the CPC, the concentration will not have a negative effect on the market, nor give the parties a dominant position.
Source: Pari (27.11.2009)

Moody's has lowered its credit ratings for First Investment Bank (FIBank) and DSK Bank citing the vulnerability of their profitability and capital positions as credit losses swelled amid the deepening recession in Bulgaria. The agency downgraded FIBank's bank financial strength rating (BFSR) by one-notch to D- from D and reduced the long-term local and foreign currency deposit ratings to Ba2 from Ba1. The outlook is "negative". Moody's trimmed the local currency deposit rating of DSK to Baa2/Prime-3 from Baa2/Prime-2 but confirmed the Baa2/Prime-3 rating on foreign currency deposits. It also maintained a D+ BFSR. All ratings carry a "negative" outlook. However, the agency upheld its ratings on two other Bulgarian banks -- Raiffeisenbank Bulgaria and MKB Unionbank -- but again with a "negative" outlook. The BFSRs were maintained at D+ for Raiffeisenbank and D- for MKB Unionbank and the deposit ratings were affirmed at Baa3/Prime-3 and Ba2/Not Prime, respectively.
Source: Dnevnik (30.11.2009)

The deal for iconic hotel Astoria in Golden Sands failed. The legendary complex was offered for public auction by a private bailiff for unpaid debts to First Investment Bank. Bidding reached a record BGN 5.6 million at announced starting price of BGN 3,091,350. The money had to be deposited within one week, but they were not paid. It turned out that the deal has not passed through the Registry Agency. Interest in Hotel Astoria was shown by a Belgian holding, which changed its mind after winning the auction, said Milen Raikov. There is also interest in the hotel, challenging the biggest ones on the Balkans – Melia Grand Hermitage. The hotel is valued at EUR 38 mln.
Source: Standart (04.12.2009)

The indexes of the Bulgarian Stock Exchange (BSE) slumped last week on negative foreign pressure and investors' concerns about Dubai and Greece's debts. On Friday, the blue-chip Sofix index closed at 431.26 points, down 4.73% for the week. BG40 of the most traded stocks fell 2.74% to 117.66 points. BGTR30 of the best performers in total return was 331.49 at close on Friday, losing 3.15% for the week. The real estate investment trust index, BGREIT, dropped 2.13% to 47.85 points. Trade on Friday resulted in almost no change for the indexes. Turnover was bigger than the traditional one and amounted to BGN 3 million. It was due mainly to trade in Balkan's stock. Biovet accounted for BGN 606,000 of the turnover, its price dipped 0.14% to BGN 6.29. Deals in Sopharma totalled BGN 145,000, the shares cheapened 0.25% to BGN 3.99.
Source: Pari (14.12.2009)