Stocks reverse decline, limit week’s overall loss
Stocks gained significantly yesterday on the Athens Stock Exchange (ASE), reversing the recent negative mood. The ASE general index closed at 3,250.93 points, a gain of 35.45 points or 1.10 percent. Overall, it lost 0.49 percent this week, limiting the gains since the start of the year to 16.88 percent. The FTSE/ASE-20 index of blue chips gained 1 percent to close at 1,797.67 points, while mid- and small-caps gained 1.26 percent and 1.33 percent respectively. A number of blue chips posted significant gains. Top of the list was refiner Hellenic Petroleum, which surged 6.17 percent to close at 11.70 euros. Following were construction group Hellenic Technodomiki (up 4.11 percent to 4.56 euros), Piraeus Bank (3 percent to 16.46 euros), ATEBank (2.97 percent to 4.86 euros), bottler Coca-Cola HBC (2.26 percent to 23.50 euros), electronics retailer and battery manufacturer Germanos (1.78 percent to 13.74 euros), Alpha Bank (1.53 percent to 22.52 euros), EFG Eurobank (1.40 percent to 24.64 euros), electricity company PPC (1.16 percent to 19.12 euros) and National Bank (1.12 percent to 30.58 euros). Of 333 traded stocks, 199 gained, 74 declined and 60 ended unchanged. Turnover reached 239.81 million euros, including 69.93 million in prearranged trades.
