Index leaps above 2,100
The Athens Stock Exchange benchmark general index ended last week at 2,175.19 points, a rise of 110.67 points or 5.36 percent from the previous week’s close. Four of the week’s five sessions ended with gains. Total turnover rose to 992.36 million euros from 861.91 million last week. Average turnover was 198.47 million euros per session. Mid-caps, hardest hit the previous week, attracted the greatest interest by investors. As a result, the FTSE/ASE Mid-40 index rose 8.40 percent. The FTSE/ASE Small-Cap 80 rose 7.14 percent, while the FTSE/ASE-20 index of blue chips gained 4.53 percent. The FTSE/ASE-140, a composite of the previous three, gained 5.46 percent. All sectoral indices ended with gains. Topping the list were insurance stocks, up 14.8 percent, followed by publishing and printing (12.14 percent) and IT solutions and equipment (10 percent). The last two categories, especially, have been especially volatile in recent weeks, being always among the top gainers or losers, depending on the stock market’s overall direction. A total of 373 stocks were traded last week. Of these, 312 gained, 44 dropped and 17 remained unchanged. Gainers were led by newly listed Interfish Fish Farming (50.21 percent), followed by Viosol’s preferred stock (41.67 percent) and Fieratex (38.69 percent). The biggest losers were MLS Informatics (25.93 percent) and ANEK’s preferred (90) stock (18.67 percent). OTE Telecom was the most heavily traded stock, with an average daily turnover of 14.29 million euros, followed by OPAP (11.94 million) and Alpha Bank (11.91 million).
