BEIRUT, Feb 21 (AFP) - The shares of Lebanon's market leader Solidere, the real estate giant founded by former premier Rafiq Hariri, plunged 15 percent on Monday, in the second such fall since his murder last week, traders said.
Solidere's share price slumped to 6.87 dollars, from 8.08 dollars at last week's close.
On Friday, Solidere shares already dropped 15 percent, following three days of mourning for Monday's killing of Hariri and 17 other people in a bomb blast blamed by the opposition on the regime and their political masters in Syria.
Solidere is a joint-stock firm entrusted to rebuild war-ravaged downtown Beirut after the 1975-1990 civil war.
The Lebanese pound was unchanged Monday, trading at an average price of 1,507.5 to the dollar.
Bankers said the Central Bank of Lebanon (CBL) was keeping its pledge to stabilize the national currency by intervening on the market.
On Friday, bankers said the central bank, which is reported to have reserves of 10 billion dollars, intervened with around 250-300 million dollars.
The pound has been stable for the past 12 years. Monetary stability was one of the pillars of economic policy under Hariri, who was prime minister five times between 1992 and 2004.
02/21/2005 17:17 GMT - AFP