Stocks rebound strongly, follow foreign markets
Stocks rebounded strongly yesterday on the Athens Stock Exchange (ASE), helped by upbeat European markets. Trading volume recovered as well. The ASE composite share price index closed at 3,789.02 points, a gain of 118.40 points or 3.23 percent. On a weekly basis, it declined 2.31 percent. The FTSE/ASE 20 index of blue chips gained 3.24 percent to close at 2,030.73 points, while mid-caps and small-caps gained 3.80 percent and 3.37 percent respectively. The FTSE/Athex International index gained 3.47 percent, to 5,296.44 points. Among blue chips, only electronics retailer Germanos declined, dropping 0.32 percent to 18.42 euros. Top gainers were betting company OPAP (up 5.66 percent to 28 euros), National Bank (5.30 percent to 32.96 euros), mobile telecommunications service provider Cosmote (5.02 percent to 18.40 euros), technology holding company Intracom (4.62 percent to 5.44 euros), Emporiki Bank (4.22 percent to 24.20 euros), refiner Motor Oil (4.03 percent to 21.70 euros), ATEbank (3.90 percent to 4.26 euros) and electricity company PPC (3.05 percent to 19.58 euros). Of 313 traded shares, 242 gained, 38 declined and 33 ended unchanged. Turnover reached 351.16 million euros, including 38.54 million in prearranged trades.
