Index close to 3,000 pts
The Athens Stock Exchange general index closed last Friday at 2,993.98 points, a gain of 100.86 points or 3.49 percent on the previous week’s close. Turnover also improved significantly, to 978.06 million euros, an average of 195.61 million per session, from 188.93 million the previous week. As usual, the index gains were based on blue chip performance. However, gains spread wide enough for all FTSE indices to rise. The FTSE/ASE-20 index of blue chips gained 4.23 percent to close at 1,680.13 points, while the FTSE/ASE Mid-40 and the FTSE/ASE Small-Cap 80 gained 2.77 percent and 0.25 percent respectively. The composite FTSE/ASE-140 index gained 3.84 percent, closing at 3,526.42 points. Almost all sectoral indices followed the general index higher. The two exceptions were textiles (down 4.45 percent) and publishing and printing (0.95 percent). The top gainers were insurance (8.04 percent), investments (7.03 percent) and refineries (6.30 percent). Of 350 traded stocks, 158 gained, 164 declined and 28 ended unchanged. Individual gainers were led by the preferred shares of dairy conglomerate Delta Holdings (38.97 percent), followed by Microland Computers (25 percent), Etma (23.81 percent) and Portfolio Investments (16.73 percent). Top losers were Alma-Atermon (45.21 percent), Ballis Chemicals (32.82 percent) and electric appliance and electronics retailers Radio Korassidis and Kotsovolos (29.67 percent and 27.38 percent respectively). CosmOTE was the most heavily traded stock, with an average turnover of 33.28 million euros.
