Ukrainian stocks regained some more ground on Wednesday (Jan 29)
following their sharp fall over the previous week due to the riots that erupted
on Hrushevsky Street in central Kyiv on Jan 19. However, trading activity was
very subdued, with several of the UX’s 10 blue chips posting negligible volumes.
Externally, the main bourses in Europe, Asia, and the US all ended lower after
the US Federal Reserve announced another reduction in its monthly monetary
stimulus, in what was the final Fed meeting for Benjamin Bernanke in his 8-year
tenure as chairman. The UX index rose 0.9% to close at 881 points. Among
substantially-traded blue chips, Raiffeisen Aval was the top gainer, adding 3.1%
to 11.40 kopecks after reporting its bottom line for FY13, and UkrNafta picked
up 2.7% as speculation is likely to mount about a possible multi-year dividend
payout by the company. Heavyweight issues Motor Sich and CentrEnergo were
sluggish, combining for just UAH 950,000 in turnover and both ending
little-changed. In London, Ferrexpo and MHP slipped another 1.9% and 0.7%
respectively, while JKX Oil&Gas moved up 2.2% to GBp
70.25.
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