Index nudges higher; blue chip picture mixed
The Athens Exchange (ATHEX) benchmark index closed little changed yesterday, adding less than 0.1 percent to 4,091.72 points. The FTSE/ATHEX 20 index of the country’s biggest companies advanced 0.2 percent to 2,167.02 points. The following stocks were among the most active on the Greek market: OTE telecom lost 1.9 percent to 17.86 euros, declining for the third time this week. Greece’s biggest phone company reported first-quarter net income of 141.1 million euros, less than analysts estimated. Marfin Popular Bank rose 1.6 percent to 5.22 euros, the highest in a week. Cyprus’s second-largest bank reported after the close of trading that first-quarter net income dropped 39 percent on lower trading gains. Profit last year was boosted by asset sales. Alpha Bank rose 3.7 percent to 21.90 euros, advancing for a second day. Bank of Cyprus gained 2.3 percent. Motor Oil Hellas gained 2.5 percent to 16.70 euros, a one-week high. Greece’s second-biggest refiner said yesterday after the market closed that first-quarter profit increased 49 percent to 38.4 million euros, beating analysts’ estimates. Gaming monopoly OPAP slumped 3.4 percent, but gaming software maker Intralot advanced 3.7 percent. Turnover totaled 312.6 million euros. (Bloomberg, Kathimerini)
