Rival leaders resumed contact this week in a bid to end the country's 17-month-old political crisis and secure the election of a new president. Lebanon has been without a president since November and the contacts have raised hopes that the election might go ahead at a parliamentary session scheduled for May 13.
The BLOM index closed at 1,691.32 points -- a two-year high -- up from the previous session's close of 1,613.03 points.
Solidere's A share rose 9.9 percent to close at $25.11, and its B share went up 9.1 percent to $25.00.
Bank Audi Booms
Bank Audi said on Tuesday its net profit for the first quarter of 2008 rose by 14.4 percent from the same period a year ago.
The bank said in unaudited results that its net profit had gone up to 82.373 billion Lebanese pounds ($54.64 million) from 71.974 billion pounds.
Net interest income climbed 12.8 percent to 136.412 billion pounds. Net provisions and recoveries on doubtful loans rose 116.6 percent to 4.386 billion pounds.
The bank said its total assets at the end of the quarter stood at 26.457 trillion pounds -- 27.3 percent higher than a year earlier.
Tags: Audi, Banks, Beirut Stock Exchange, BLOM, Economy, Solidere, source: Reuters, source: Ya Libnan
