A 13-percent leap in the value of Belco Holdings Ltd. shares helped The Royal Gazette / Bermuda Stock Exchange (BSX) Index to finish a difficult year on a positive note.

The energy company's stock rose $2.10 in New Year's Eve trading to finish 2008 on $18, on the trading of 1,000 shares.

The BSX Index, which finished up 20.89 points (0.62 percent) on Wednesday at 3,417, lost 30 percent of its value through a tough 12 months as Bermuda felt the effects of the global economic crisis.

Butterfield Bank slipped ten cents (0.9 percent), as 2,500 shares traded, to finish the day on $10.45, and end a year in which the bank saw its stock value plummet by 37 percent.

The only other issue to trade was Argus Group Holdings Ltd., which remained unchanged on $9.75, as 300 shares changed hands.

The BSX Insurance Index rose for a third successive day, climbing 11.86 points (1.35 percent) to close on 885.83.