BUX up 1.66% at noon on prospect of further US economic-stimulus package

The Budapest Stock Exchange's blue-chip BUX index was up 1.66% at noon on Monday as Friday comments from Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke suggesting that the US central-banking system may be prepared to enact economic-stimulus measures in September boosted sentiment at bourses throughout Europe.

The BUX commenced afternoon trade 296.56 points higher at 18,136.42 on a composite exchange turnover of HUF 3.48 billion.

BSE blue-chips stood as follows at Monday noon:

Drug company Richter was up 2.54% at HUF 34,555 on a turnover of HUF 141m;

OTP Bank was up 2.18% at HUF 4,210 on an exchange-high turnover of HUF 2.8 billion;

Magyar Telekom was up 1.21% at HUF 500 on a turnover of HUF 76m;

Oil and gas company MOL was up 0.95% at HUF 16,550 on a turnover of HUF 409m.

Major European blue-chip stock indices were in positive territory at midday, with Frankfurt's Xetra DAX up 1.42% and Paris's CAC-40 up 1.49%. The London Stock Exchange remained closed on Monday for England's Summer Bank Holiday.

The BUX's central and eastern European high-cap peer indices were mixed at noon, with Prague's PX-50 up 0.65% and Warsaw's WIG-20 down 0.37%.