Shortened week for the stock market
Stocks ended a shortened week on a positive note on Thursday, with mobile operator Vodafone Panafon gaining over 1 percent after adding more new clients in the first quarter than expected. The Athens general index rose 0.65 percent to 1,633.06 points, a gain of 29 points or 1.8 percent on the week. The Athens Stock Exchange was closed yesterday and will be closed again on Monday due to the Catholic and Protestant Easter holiday. «Flow in the bigger names was influenced by gains in foreign markets,» said broker Nikos Diamantopoulos at Kappa Securities. Panafon rose 1.1 percent to 5.52 euros after it said it added more than 160,000 new clients in the first quarter. Blue chips gained 0.86 percent to 795.18 points. Mid-caps edged up 0.09 percent while small-caps fell 1.57 percent. Turnover eased for a second day to settle at 97.73 million euros, with 32 million shares changing hands. Losers beat winners 225 to 93, with 40 shares unchanged on 358 traded. (Reuters)