Sale of bank stocks prompts slight drop
Equities on the Athens Stock Exchange declined for the third session in a row, as investors locked in profits from bank shares. The ASE benchmark general index closed at 1,990.96 points, a decline of 0.39 percent. Brokers found it encouraging that were more buyers than sellers, as it gave a sign that there is more upward momentum, especially for blue chips and mid-caps. Turnover rose slightly, to 159.3 million euros. Among sectoral indices, the biggest increases were in IT equipment/solutions (5.98 percent) and retail commerce (0.99 percent). The biggest losses were in publishing and printing (3.11 percent) and refineries (1.56 percent). Among individual stocks, Paperpack-Tsoukaridis led all gainers, with a 14.67 percent rise, followed by Karatzis (12.64 percent), Balkan Export (12.08 percent) and Tria Alfa’s preferred stock (12 percent). Viosol’s preferred shares led decliners with an 11.76 percent drop.
