ASE fails to hold on to early gains, ends level
Stocks ended only slightly higher on the Athens Stock Exchange (ASE) yesterday at the end of a volatile session marked by the offloading of small-capitalization shares. The ASE general index closed at 3,023.67 points, a gain of 3.04 points or 0.10 percent. During the session, it reached a high of 3,056.37 points. The FTSE/ASE-20 index of blue chips dropped 0.15 percent to close at 1,689.63 points. Mid-caps gained 0.09 percent and small-caps declined 1.09 percent. After two days of gains, Emporiki Bank declined 1.65 percent to close at 22.68 euros after Economy and Finance Minister Giorgos Alogoskoufis said the government had not yet concluded an agreement with France’s Credit Agricole to sell its stake in the bank. Alpha Bank and National also declined (1.86 percent and 1.08 percent respectively). Several blue chips posted significant gains. These were CosmOTE (up 2 percent to 14.30 euros), Coca-Cola HBC (1.78 percent to 20.60 euros), Germanos (1.71 percent to 24.98 euros), Public Power Corporation (1.70 percent to 22.72 euros), EFG Eurobank (1.32 percent to 26.02 euros) and OPAP (1.15 percent to 22.94 euros). Of 338 traded stocks, 84 gained, 183 declined and 71 ended unchanged. Turnover reached 161.84 million euros.
