Hellenic Petroleum pushes up index
Refiner Hellenic Petroleum jumped on the Athens bourse yesterday, buoyed by hopes of a positive end to the State’s effort to sell a stake in the group while the broader market edged higher. State-controlled Hellenic Petroleum, which had fallen to a year-low on Tuesday, ended up 2.34 percent at 5.24 euros after showing gains of more than 6 percent in early session trade. «The market looked to be discounting the sale at the open but later trimmed gains,» said Manos Mavrogenis, analyst at Laiki Attalos Securities. It was announced late last night that the deadline for a final proposal has been extended to February 3, at the request of bidders Lukoil and Petrola. The benchmark general index gained 0.28 percent to 1,720.79 points. Blue chips advanced 0.43 percent; mid-caps added 0.44 percent while small-caps rose 0.43 percent. Turnover was 83.82 million euros, with 19.6 million shares changing hands. Winners beat losers 188 to 103, with 65 shares unchanged on 356 traded. (Reuters)
