Czech blue chips closed stronger last week, up by 1.0% as measured by the PX-D index, which closed the week at 1,387.2 points. The broader market also strengthened as the PX-50 index rose by 1.6% to 552.4 points.
The leading equity of the week was Philip Morris CR, which gained 5.9% to CZK 12,060 by week’s end. The stock’s dividend yield (approx. 11–12%) was the main reason behind its growth. Cesky Telecom attacked its highest levels since May 2002 and rose by 2.1% to CZK 347.50; investors continue to await company announcements related to the potential acquisition of 100% of Eurotel and a dividend proposal. Unipetrol rose by 1.0% to CZK 50. Banking titles were up: Erste Bank gained 0.6% and Komercni banka added 0.4%. Ceske radiokomunikace and CEZ, both down on the week, lost 0.4% and 0.3%, respectively. Komercni banka was the busiest stock last week, as USD 44.7 mil. worth of its shares changed hands (36% of the overall volume on the PSE).
The overall market volume was USD 123.1 mil., which was 9% below the 12M weekly average.
Jitka Oppitzová