PPC sale dominates
The Athens Stock Exchange (ASE) benchmark general index ended on Friday at 2,121.06 points, a gain of 18.96 points or 0.90 percent for the week. Three of the week’s four sessions – Tuesday was a national holiday – ended with gains. The weekly turnover reached 976.50 million euros, a daily average of 244.13 million. Of this, almost two thirds resulted from the successful third sale of a stake in state-controlled electricity firm Public Power Corporation. Interest was strongest in mid-caps: the FTSE/ASE Mid-40 rose 1.53 percent and the FTSE/ASE-20 index of blue chips gained 1.14 percent to close at 1,063.61 points, while the FTSE/ASE Small-Cap 80 gained 1.11 percent. The FTSE/ASE-140, a composite of the above three, gained 1.21 percent, to close at 2,475.90 points. All but two sectoral indices recorded gains. The two exceptions were information technology, which slipped 1.21 percent, and refineries, down 0.13 percent. The biggest gainers were non-metallic minerals and cement (3.13 percent), investment (2.69 percent) and wholesale commerce (2.44 percent). Of the 371 stocks traded, 203 ended with losses, 127 gained and 41 remained unchanged. Gainers were led by Mathios (25.69 percent), Parnassos Enterprises (24.77 percent) and the preferred shares of Xifias Fisheries (24.68 percent). The biggest losers were the preferred shares of Viosol (26.83 percent), VIS (20 percent) and Tria Alfa (19.10 percent). The most heavily traded stock was PPC, with an average turnover per session of 162.19 million euros. It was followed by National Bank (9.84 million).
