The total turnover on the Sarajevo Stock Exchange (SASE) in 2020 amounted to BAM541mn (€276mn), while the total turnover on the Banja Luka Stock Exchange (BLSE) amounted to BAM734mn, announced the websites of the stock exchanges.
Turnover on the SASE in 2020 increased by 25% compared to 2019, and on the BLSE by 55%. The turnover in 2020 increased due to higher borrowing by the governments of Bosnia’s two entities, the Bosnian Federation and Republika Srpska, on the stock exchanges.
Most of the turnover on both stock exchanges was from trading in T-bills and bonds of the entity governments — around 70% on the SASE and 74% on the BLSE.
The value of the SASX-10 index on the stock exchange in Sarajevo at the end of 2020 fell by 4.11% compared to the previous year, while the BIRS index on the stock exchange in Banja Luka fell by 6.6%.
Brokers say the drop in the stock indexes is the result of the coronavirus pandemic and the lack of investors.
The market capitalisation of SASE at the end of 2020 amounted to BAM5.3bn, while the market capitalisation of BLSE amounted to BAM4bn.