Index gains 0.76 pct; Piraeus Bank shines
Strong financials helped pull stocks 0.76 percent higher yesterday with Piraeus Bank outperforming after news that Dutch group ING will buy a 5-percent stake in the bank. «It was a good session. The most important thing is we saw interest from all investors: retail, pension funds, local and foreign institutionals,» said Annie Triandafyllou, head analyst at National Securities. Piraeus Bank held on to early gains, rising 3.51 percent to 6.48 euros. The banking index rose 1.07 percent. The Athens bourse’s benchmark general index gained 0.76 percent to 2,216.80 points. The FTSE/ASE-20 index of blue chips added 0.82 percent to 1,163.13 points. The FTSE/ASE-40 index of mid-caps gained 1.15 percent and small-caps on the FTSE/ASE-80 added 1.26 percent. Total turnover was 86.72 million euros on volume of 19.6 million shares. Winners beat losers 243 to 75, with 47 unchanged on 365 traded. (Reuters) Labor Minister Dimitris Reppas unveils the government’s National Employment Action Plan for 2002 at the Labor Ministry (2 Pireos St) at 2 p.m. today. After a meeting with Prime Minister Simitis yesterday, Reppas said unemployment is declining and will continue to do so, helped by EU investment subsidies and Olympics projects.
