The Athens Exchange (ATHEX) benchmark index gained for a third day on Wednesday, adding 92.20 points, or 2.2 percent, to 4,214.16, as foreign institutionals renewed interest in blue chips, especially banks.

The FTSE/ATHEX 20 index of the country’s biggest companies increased 2.8 percent to 2,223.85 points.

Bellwether National Bank surged 5 percent and construction firm Hellenic Technodomiki climbed 4.4 percent. Banks Marfin Popular and Piraeus added 4 percent and 3.5 percent respectively. OTE telecom gained 2.8 percent to close at –19.12, the highest close in three weeks. “Significant progress” has been made in talks between Greece and Deutsche Telekom about selling a stake in Greece’s largest phone company, according to an e-mailed statement from the Finance Ministry.

Eurobank Properties added 2.8 percent to –8.18, its biggest one-day gain since March 26. Greece’s biggest real estate investment trust said after the close of trade yesterday that first-quarter net income increased 23 percent to –12.8 million on higher rental income.

Frigoglass advanced 1.6 percent to –22.36, its highest close since February 14. A total of 65,621 new shares of the supplier of custom-made beverage coolers began trading.

Turnover topped –364.8 million.

ATHEX was closed yesterday due to the May Day holiday. (Bloomberg, Kathimerini)