The trade on the Bulgarian Stock Exchange (BSE) started this week with sell-off. As a result the SOFIX blue-chip index erased 4.77% of its value, closing at 273.11 points. The broader BG40 shed 1.1%, to 90.09 points. BG REIT and BG TR30 ended the day in negative territory losing 1.26% and 4.01%, to 40.03 and 194.09, respectively.

BSE's overall turnover amounted to 1.53 mln leva, while the value of the over-the-counter deals stood at 1.16 mln leva as at 2:20 p.m. A total of 92 issues were traded on the day with 23 of the companies posting stock price gains.

BSE's turnover for January totalled 83.21 mln. leva. This is the lowest monthly turnover since april 2005, when shares for 79.91 mln leva were transferred. Deals for less than 100 mln leva were last registered in November 2005.

Industrial Holding Bulgaria's stock depreciated by 6.72%, to 1.11 leva per share. The traded volume on the position came to 164,606 shares.

Synergon Holding slumped by 11.28%, to 1.25 leva per share, whole the traded volume stood at 10,500 shares. The company booked 10.05 mln leva non-consolidate profit for 2008, compared to 13.89 mln leva for 2007 г., which represents a 27-percent year-on-year decline.

Stara Planina Hold's stock price remained unchanged at 1.1 leva per share. A total of 1,130 shares of the company changed hands on the day.

Sopharma slipped by 2.86% to 2.04 leva per share. A total of 20,831 shares of the pharmaceutical company were transferred on the day. Sopharma's non-consolidate profit for 2008 stood at 18.43 mln leva (0.14 leva earnings per share), which represents a 40-percent year-on-year drop. The net sales revenue of the company amounted to 186.81 mln leva, up by 6% year on year.

Bulgarska-Roza Sevtopolis shed 3.51% to 0.55 leva per share. The traded volume came to 20,220 shares.

The day was bad for Chimimport and Eurohold Bulgaria as well. Chimimport's stock depreciated by 9.86%, to 1.25 leva per share. A total of 52,082 shares in the company changed hands on the day.

Chimimport's non-consolidated profit from went up from 82.48 mln leva in 2007 to 86.12 mln leva in 2008. The revenue of the company went up from 94.96 mln leva in 2007, to 118.31 mln leva a year later.

Eurohold Bulgaria's stock shed 9.41% of its value, to 0.76 leva per share. The turnover on the position came to 48,817 shares. The company booked 29 mln leva non-consolidated net profit for 2008, compared to 71.46 mln leva a year earlier.

All four actively traded banks on BSE posted declines. Central Cooperative Bank slipped by 1.16%, to 0.85 leva, First Investment Bank shed 0.44%, to 1.12 leva, Coroprate Commercial Bank lost 2%, to 73.5 leva, while Bulgarian American Credit Bank ended the day 1.18% lower, at 8.4 leva per share.

Infrastructure companies also ended today's session on negative territory. Holding Roads lost 16.79%, to 1.58 leva per share, Moststroy shed 15.79%, to 1.7 leva per share and Trace Group Hold closed 1.78% lower at 27.5 leva per share.

Lead & Zinc Complex posted 36.52 mln leva loss for 2008, compared to 13.83 mln leva profit for 2007. The stock of the company depreciated by 19.35%, to 5.08 leva per share.

Some of today's few advancers included Sparky Eltos (+2.45%, to 1.38 leva), Toplivo (+2.19%, to 4.2 leva), Odessos Ship Repair Yard (+2.5%, to 102.5 leva), M+S Hydraulic (+1.03%, to 3.94 leva), Agria Group Holding (+10%, to 2.86 leva). Industrial Capital Holding's stock appreciated by 12.12%, to 1.8 leva per share.