Blue chips drag bourse index lower
Most stocks on the Greek bourse began the new week with gains, but declines posted by a number of blue chips sent the main benchmark index lower on Monday, with turnover only slightly improving on last week?s extreme lows.
The Athens Exchange (ATHEX) general index ended at 619.97 points, shedding 0.29 percent from Friday?s closing figure of 621.78 points. The blue chip FTSE/ATHEX 20 index fell by 0.84 percent to close at 224.24 points, but the mid-cap index added 1.46 percent.
News of Piraeus Bank?s interest in ATEbank saw the stock of the country?s fourth-biggest lender add 5.61 percent, while Cyprus Popular Bank gained 3.75 percent. Viohalco was the worst off among blue chips, dropping 6.04 percent.
In total, 71 stocks posted gains, 53 recorded losses and 25 remained unchanged.
Turnover amounted to 25 million euros, down from last Friday?s 17.8 million.
