Rebounding CCHBC leads blue chips higher
Greeks stocks gained in thin trade yesterday, led by the Coca-Cola Hellenic Bottling Company, which rebounded from recent losses. The benchmark Athens Exchange (ATHEX) index added 0.6 percent, to 5,137.47 points in Athens as 32 of its 60 constituent stocks rose, 22 declined and six were unchanged. The index has increased 17 percent this year. The FTSE/ATHEX 20 index of the country’s largest companies climbed 0.5 percent to 2,739.43. Coca-Cola HBC advanced 2.4 percent, to -29.48. Alpha Bank, the country’s third-biggest bank, gained 1.8 percent and Public Power Corporation was up 1.44 percent. By contrast, betting monopoly OPAP shed 1.5 percent and Hellenic Petroleum was 1.8 percent lower. OTE telecom rose 0.8 percent, advancing for a second day after Marfin Investment Group, its second-biggest shareholder, dropped a request for a shareholder meeting in which it planned to challenge some of the company’s management decisions. Paperpack Tsoukaridis climbed 6.3 percent, on the last day that shares of the printing and graphic arts services provider traded with the right to receive two new bonus shares for every share held. Turnover totaled -205.5 million, of which -46.2 million was accounted for by National Bank. (Kathimerini, Bloomberg)
