Market stabilizes despite blue chips’ slight decline
Stocks gained marginally yesterday on the Athens Stock Exchange (ASE), with medium- and small-capitalization firms outperforming blue chips. The ASE general index closed at 3,512.82 points, a gain of 0.80 points or 0.02 percent. On a weekly basis, it gained 0.37 percent, raising the year’s overall gains to 26.08 percent. The FTSE/ASE-20 index of blue chips declined 0.18 percent to close at 1,947.46 points, while mid- and small-caps gained 0.49 percent and 0.22 percent respectively. Some blue chips posted gains, including mobile telecommunications service provider Cosmote (up 1.76 percent to 18.36 euros), casino and hotel operator Hyatt (1.42 percent to 10 euros), refiner Hellenic Petroleum (0.84 percent to 12.10 euros), electricity company PPC (0.56 percent to 17.92 euros), ATEBank (0.43 percent to 4.66 euros) and telecommunications company OTE (0.23 percent to 17.56 euros). By contrast, losses were sustained by Emporiki Bank (down 1.98 percent to 23.78 euros), Piraeus Bank (0.68 percent to 17.44 euros), National Bank (0.29 percent to 34.30 euros) and EFG Eurobank (0.22 percent to 26.84 euros). Of 324 traded stocks, 137 gained, 114 declined and 73 ended unchanged. Turnover reached 172.89 million euros, including 13.9 million in prearranged trades.
