Wall Street bolsters Greek blue chip rebound
An upbeat opening on Wall Street yesterday, following the announcement of May inflation data, put investors’ fears at rest and bolstered interest in Greek blue chips which had been watching other European bourses from a distance. Amid auctions at the end of the session, the Athens Exchange (ATHEX) general index added 0.85 percent to close at 4,900.51 points. The FTSE/ATHEX 20 blue chip index was 0.91 percent higher at 2,606.26 points, the FTSE/ATHEX Mid-40 gained 0.42 percent, and the FTSE/ATHEX 80 small-cap index added 0.46 percent. Among blue chips, which admittedly did not present a very robust picture, Coca-Cola HBC outperformed with gains of 1.70 percent, National Bank was up 1.46 percent, Viohalco likewise, Cosmote climbed 1.42 percent and Alpha Bank advanced 1.30 percent. Emporiki and Piraeus banks, Intralot and Motor Oil also headed north. By contrast, Postal Savings Bank tumbled 1.72 percent. Public Power Corporation also ended in negative territory after a string of recent gains and Hellenic Technodomiki was unchanged. Turnover totaled -359.388 million, including -33 million in block trades. National Bank, OPAP and OTE accounted for -103.5 million.
