Blue chips keep sliding but Emporiki still gains
The Athens Stock Exchange (ASE) hovered around Tuesday’s closing yesterday, with shares seemingly exhausted by the pummeling they sustained in recent sessions. Most mid-caps recorded gains while blue chips continued to head south. The index finally settled 15.50 points, or 0.46 percent, down at 3,379.28. The blue chip FTSE/ASE 20 index lost 0.64 percent, the FTSE/ASE Mid-40 added 0.85 percent and the FTSE/ASE Small-Cap 80 edged 0.09 percent lower. Emporiki Bank continued gaining as investors seem to anticipate rival bids to Credit Agricole’s 23.50 per share for a 100 percent acquisition. It finished 1.77 percent higher at 25.24 euros. Among other blue chips, the Public Power Corporation surged 4.00 percent, Viohalco advanced 3.36 percent, Duty Free Shops added 2.86 percent, Intracom gained 0.96 percent, OTE 0.88 percent and Piraeus Bank 0.39 percent. In contrast, Hyatt tumbled 3.64 percent, Folli Follie slid 2.97 percent, ATEbank lost 2.86 percent, Motor Oil was 2.11 percent down and National Bank shed 2.00 percent. Most sectoral indices ended on higher ground, with utility services leading with gains of 3.52 percent. Turnover reached 339.84 million euros. Bank of Cyprus, OPAP and Intralot were the three most marketable securities.
