Construction stocks slip badly but index stable
Stocks barely moved yesterday on the Athens Stock Exchange (ASE), despite a rise in other European markets. The ASE general index closed at 2,401.04 points, a rise of 1.66 points or 0.07 percent. The FTSE/ASE-20 index of blue chips gained 0.08 percent to close at 1,312.73 points, mid-caps gained 0.01 percent and small-caps retreated 0.27 percent. The session was marked by a drop in certain construction shares, notably Aktor and Hellenic Technodomiki following a Tuesday decision by the National Radio and Television Council not to issue a «transparency certificate» to Aktor. Aktor and Hellenic Technodomiki lost 5.45 percent and 4.29 percent, respectively, while Michaniki, a smaller rival, which has been relentlessly challenging the legality of awarding of public projects to the previous two firms, alleging favoritism, gained 4.91 percent. The construction index declined 1.02 percent. Banks outperformed again, with EFG Eurobank rising 0.41 percent to close at a year-high of 19.66 points. National gained 0.58 percent. Out of 354 shares traded, 121 gained, 132 declined and 101 ended unchanged. Turnover was 79.29 million euros, including 3.62 million in prearranged trades of block shares.
