VIENNA (dpa-AFX) – The Vienna Stock Exchange said goodbye to trading on Friday with profits. At the end of the week, the ATX rose by 0.51 percent to 5,665.53 points. During the week, the Austrian leading index exceeded the 5,700 mark for the first time. The ATX Prime, which includes more shares, closed 0.44 percent higher at 2,813.77 units. Profits were also mostly recorded on other European stock exchanges.
National Bank Governor Martin Kocher sees inflation in Austria as clearly on the decline and has announced a lowering of the economic forecast. Despite falling inflation, he does not expect consumption to pick up immediately. The mood remains depressed as the price level has “increased massively” in recent years.
In the USA, the consumer climate surveyed by the University of Michigan rose more than expected in February, according to an initial estimate. Consumers’ assessment of the current situation has improved. However, expectations fell somewhat.
The ATX was weighed down on Friday by, among other things, the Andritz shares (Andritz), which fell by 6.85 percent according to preliminary business figures for 2025. Order intake rose, but sales fell. However, the margin was higher than analyst Daniel Lion from Erste Group had expected.
The Erste Group experts also criticized the announcement of an impairment worth millions at Mayr-Melnhof (Mayr-Melnhof Karten). Mayr-Melnhof’s Board & Paper division has been under pressure for several quarters, burdened by persistent overcapacity, weak prices and recurring operating losses in the 2023 and 2024 financial years. The Mayr-Melnhof share lost 2.02 percent.
In addition, Bajaj Mobility’s shares fell by 3.49 percent. The parent company of the motorcycle manufacturer KTM announced an agreement on a social plan on Thursday. Around 500 KTM employees are to be laid off, with the first layoffs scheduled to take place the week after next. According to the GPA union, the affected employees should receive additional financial benefits in addition to regular termination rights.
There were also losses in the shares of Austriacard Holdings (2.57 percent) and Vienna Airport (2.17 percent).
The leaders in the ATX were Verbund with an increase of 3.45 percent. The electricity company’s shares fell by 2.94 percent on Thursday. EVN shares rose by 0.69 percent. The titles from Do&Co with plus 3.22 percent and Porr with plus 2.95 percent were well sought after.
Among the heavily weighted bank stocks, Erste Group rose by 1.13 percent, BAWAG by 0.81 percent and RBI by 1.2 percent. The analysts at Baader Bank had raised their rating for the shares of Raiffeisen Bank International (Raiffeisen) (RBI) in response to the reported annual figures./rst/mik/APA/stw
