Drop takes index under the 4,000-point mark
After nine sessions, the main index of the Athens bourse has again fallen under 4,000 points due to increasing selling by foreign investors. The Athens Exchange (ATHEX) general index closed at 3,937.79 points yesterday from 4,004.81 points on Friday, a drop of 1.67 percent. The blue chip FTSE/ATHEX 20 index contracted by 1.89 percent, reaching 2,035.87 points. The mid-cap FTSE/ATHEX 40 index shrank by 1.28 percent, while the small-cap FTSE/ATHEX 80 index posted a drop of 0.75 percent. The FTSE/ATHEX International was down 1.81 percent to 5,408.56 points. Titan led gainers among blue chips with a 2.44 percent rise, followed by Hellenic Petroleum (up 1.18 percent) and ATEbank (1.11 percent). Bank of Cyprus had the worst showing of the day (down 4.82 percent), ahead of Mytilineos (4.48 percent), Piraeus Bank (4.24 percent) and Marfin Popular Bank (3.56 percent). All but two sectoral indices registered losses yesterday, led by technology (down 3.17 percent) and financial services (2.81 percent). Turnover amounted to 314.2 million euros, of which 44.6 million euros concerned block trades. The Cypriot General Market Index declined by a massive 4.70 percent, reaching 2,849.75 points.
