Investors take heart from Merkel?s statement on Greece
Greek blue chips rebounded on Friday, bucking the trend elsewhere in Europe after German Chancellor Angela Merkel said she backed Greece?s efforts to remain in the eurozone at her meeting with Prime Minister Antonis Samaras.
The Athens Exchange (ATHEX) benchmark index added 2.28 percent, closing at 644.04 points. The blue chip FTSE/ATHEX 20 index was 1.91 percent higher at 233.47 points. Mid-caps gained 0.89 percent.
OTE telecom and gaming monopoly OPAP continued to outperform in terms of turnover, adding 4.31 percent and 0.97 percent respectively on mainly foreign buying interest. Alpha Bank was buoyant, surging 5.11 percent, while National Bank added 2.96 percent. Public Power Corporation rose 4.67 percent and Hellenic Petroleum 5.57 percent.
Turnover totaled 20.98 million euros.
