Late rebound ends four-day losing streak
Strong fluctuations dominated the Athens market yesterday, as in the rest of Europe, with the general index closing slightly higher in the end after four southbound sessions, thanks to a late rebound. Interest focused on small-caps, with rising stocks outnumbering the falling ones by two to one. The Athens Exchange (ATHEX) general index rose by 0.25 percent to close at 4,850.83 points from 4,838.87 points on Thursday, despite an intra-session slump of up to 1.19 percent. The FTSE/ATHEX 20 blue chip index ended marginally higher, by 0.07 percent, at 2,592.38 points, the FTSE/ATHEX Mid-40 gained 0.73 percent, reaching 6,225.71 points, and the FTSE/ATHEX 80 small-cap index ended 1.33 percent higher, at 1,111.18 points. The FTSE/ATHEX International index closed at 6,925.50 points, posting a 0.20 percent rise. Viohalco and Alpha Bank outperfomed among blue chips with increases of 3.08 percent and 2.99 percent respectively, followed by Cosmote (up 1.13 percent). The biggest losses were sustained by OTE (down 1.24 percent), Piraeus Bank (1.14 percent) and EFG Eurobank (1.06 percent). All but three sectoral indices registered gains, led by mass media (up 2.55 percent) and chemicals (2.28 percent). Turnover totaled -485.33 million, including -92 million in block trades.
