Little change in session marked by big trades
Shares gained ground yesterday on the Athens Stock Exchange in a session marked by a large number of prearranged trades, a common occurrence toward the end of the year. The ASE general index closed at 2,715.92 points, a gain of 7.59 points or 0.28 percent. The FTSE/ASE-20 index of blue chips gained 0.30 percent to close at 1,502.90 points, while the mid- and small-caps indices gained 0.43 percent and 0.22 percent, respectively. EFG Eurobank reached a new year-high, this time at 24.14 euros, for the second session in a row, having gained 1.86 percent. In a report released yesterday, UBS raised its target price for Eurobank to 30 euros from 25.50 previously, while retaining its «buy» recommendation. Other gaining blue chips included metals group Viohalco (1.26 percent), cement firm Titan (1.12 percent) and state betting company OPAP (0.91 percent). By contrast, Duty Free Shops and bottler Coca-Cola HBC lost 2.03 percent and 1.14 percent, respectively. Out of 351 traded shares, 127 gained, 144 declined and 80 ended unchanged. Turnover was 300.84 million euros, including 175.90 million euros in prearranged trades. These included the sale of 21 percent of Rocas to Spanish firm Iberdrola, and the transfer of shares from Agrotiki Holdings to Agricultural Bank.
