VIENNA (dpa-AFX) – The Vienna Stock Exchange left the session moderately higher on Thursday after very quiet trading. After losses over much of the day, the ATX managed to change signs shortly before the end. The leading index rose by 0.09 percent to 3,400.56 points. On the other hand, the leading European stock exchanges almost all fell.
According to market observers, profit-taking has started in Europe following the recent increases, but the stock markets are looking forward to a very successful year. In the ending trading year of 2023, the ATX is expected to show an annual increase of almost nine percent, the DAX (DAX 40) in Frankfurt shows an annual performance of around plus 20 percent.
On the reporting day there was very little reporting at company level. The shares of Raiffeisen Bank International (Raiffeisen) (RBI) and Strabag were also in focus after both values jumped noticeably the previous day. At the end of the session, RBI stocks fell by 0.1 percent after significant losses and Strabag closed at minus 0.5 percent. On Wednesday, the shares shot up by 12.8 or 9.3 percent after it was announced that the Russian RBI subsidiary wanted to acquire the 27.8 percent stake in the construction company that the Russian Strabag major shareholder Oleg Deripaska put up for sale.
The Verbund share fell by 0.1 percent to 84.45 euros. According to an agency report, analysts at Oddo BHF have downgraded the electricity supplier’s stocks from “outperform” to “neutral”. The experts also revised their price target downwards from 100 to 85 euros.
Immofinanz (IMMOFINANZ) improved by one percent. The Viennese real estate company has acquired two further properties from its core shareholder CPI Property Group (CPIPG).
In the technology sector, AT&S gained 0.8 percent. The papers of the fiber manufacturer Lenzing, however, lost 0.8 percent. The refractory group RHI Magnesita lost 2.3 percent with very thin sales. Warimpex slipped by 8.5 percent with also meager trading sales./ste/spa/APA/jha