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Colombia stocks and peso end little changed

BOGOTA: Colombian peso ended little changed on Monday, in trading hampered by a flurry of rebel bombs targeting the country's power grid.

Bogota's IBB .IBB stock index closed up 0.13 percent at 1,115.47 on turnover of about $701,000. But information about the closing level of the IBOMED general price index in Medellin was not immediately available because of power outages in the northwest city following the bombing of at least 22 electric pylons early in the day.

The sabotage attacks, in rural areas of Antioquia province, were blamed on the Cuban-inspired National Liberation Army (ELN), Colombia's second-largest guerrilla army.

One of the day's biggest gainers on the stock exchange in Bogota was Valores Bavaria, the highly diversified conglomerate that groups the non-brewing interests of the giant Bavaria Group.

Valores added 0.89 percent in the capital to close at 1,917 pesos per share.

Bavaria itself also closed higher, extending last week's gains by moving up another 0.50 percent in Bogota to 9,699 pesos per share.

Among financial issues winners were led by Bancolombia, which rose 0.95 percent to 1,060.

On the currency market, meanwhile, the peso rose a wafer thin 0.05 percent or one peso on the day to to close at 1,920 against the dollar.

Interbank dealers said trading was quiet, because of the market holiday in the United States, and reported only 14 transactions for a total of $11.6 million, well below the daily average of about $70 million.

The peso, which opened at 1,920, traded in a intraday range of 1,915 and 1,926, dealers said.-Reuters