CosmOTE shines; dismal banks drag index down
Mobile operator CosmOTE continued its winning streak on the Athens bourse yesterday, advancing more than 6 percent since announcing on Tuesday that its clients grew 34.6 percent in the first quarter. CosmOTE rose 2.85 percent to 10.10 euros, while the broader market continued to groan under the weight of yet another dismal performance from the heavyweight banking sector. Banks lost 1.39 percent, while the benchmark index slipped 0.68 percent to 2,207.53 points. Analysts said earlier they expected the broader market to fall as a technical bounce a day earlier faded. The FTSE/ASE-20 index of blue chips fell 1.10 percent to 1,163.80 points. National Bank fell 2.79 percent to 20.22 euros, while Alpha Bank lost 2.46 percent to 15.88 euros. The FTSE/ASE-40 index of mid-caps shed 0.66 percent and small-caps on the FTSE/ASE-80 fell 0.99 percent. Total turnover was 68.86 million euros on volume of 12.1 million shares. Losers beat winners 226 to 87, with 44 unchanged on 357 traded. (Reuters)
