Euphoria takes index above 5,250 points
Stocks on the Greek bourse were propelled by the positive sentiment on European markets and closed the day with gains, with blue chips having a very good day across the board. The Athens Exchange (ATHEX) general index was up 0.74 percent, closing at 5,252.99 points yesterday from 5,214.17 points on Wednesday. The blue chip FTSE/ATHEX 20 index grew by 0.95 percent, reaching 2,787.43 points. The mid-cap FTSE/ATHEX 40 index gained 0.62 percent, while the small-cap FTSE/ATHEX 80 index rose by 0.30 percent. The FTSE/ATHEX International closed up 0.87 percent at 7,464.56 points. National Bank outperformed among blue chips with a 2.54 percent rise, followed by Coca-Cola HBC (up 2.38 percent), EFG Eurobank (2 percent) and Bank of Cyprus. The biggest losses were for Postal Savings Bank (down 1.95 percent) and Motor Oil (1.50 percent). Among sectoral indices, food and drink showed the greatest gains (up 2.05 percent), ahead of banks (1.33 percent) and technology (1.18 percent). On the losing side the leaders were insurances (down 0.87 percent), telecommunications (0.52 percent) and utilities (0.48 percent). Turnover rose to -525.41 million, of which -104.59 million was in block trades.