Bourse slips 0.62 pct on National jitters
Last-minute jitters ahead of National Bank’s (NBG) first-quarter results pulled the brake on a five-session winning streak on the Athens bourse yesterday as shares in the market heavyweight slid into negative terrain. Investors took profits from National and other blue chip banks after the sector began a climb back from year-low levels, sparked by worries of weak capital markets hurting first-quarter profits. NBG, Greece’s largest bank, eased 0.18 percent to close at 22.76 euros before the results were announced. The Athens benchmark general index fell 0.62 percent to 2,346.55 points with banks falling 0.77 percent. The bourse’s FTSE blue chip index fell 0.82 percent to 1,237.73 points with telecom stocks falling 1.06 percent. Mid-caps slipped 0.22 percent and small-caps lost 0.63 percent. Turnover was 132.12 million euros on volume of 27 million shares. Losers beat winners 197 to 125 while 44 shares were unchanged on 366 traded. (Reuters) Changes
