Banks lead successful assault on 5,000 points
Blue chips, particularly banks, led Greek stocks to a strong rebound after two declining sessions yesterday, recapturing the 5,000-point level. Analysts noted that mid- and small-caps showed less confidence following the rebound compared to last week’s rally. The Athens Exchange (ATHEX) general index closed at 5,020.73 points, posting a rise of 1.14 percent. The FTSE/ATHEX 20 blue chip index gained 1.37 percent to close at 2,676.00 points, the FTSE/ATHEX Mid-40 was up 0.92 percent and the FTSE/ATHEX 80 small-cap index climbed 0.94 percent. The FTSE/ATHEX International index added 1.31 percent. Public Power Corporation led blue chips with gains of 3.91 percent, ATEbank climbed 3.59 percent, Bank of Cyprus surged 3.29 percent, Viohalco ascended 3.09 percent, Emporiki added 2.31 percent and National Bank advanced 1.19 percent to a new historic high of -44.30. Marfin Popular Bank, Hellenic Technodomiki, Intralot, Cosmote, Motor Oil, OPAP, Titan, Alpha Bank, EFG Eurobank, Coca-Cola HBC, OTE and Piraeus Bank also headed north. Hellenic Petroleum and Postal Savings Bank were the only blue chips to end in negative territory. Turnover totaled -575.18 million, of which -160.55 million corresponded to block trades.
