Stocks rise on bank gains
Greek stocks edged higher yesterday, advancing 0.52 percent, boosted by gains in banks. The Athens Exchange’s (ATHEX) benchmark general index ended at 3,345.18 points after touching an intra-session high of 3,367. National Bank, the country’s largest lender, added 1.57 percent to reach 30.98 euros while Piraeus Bank closed at 18.10 euros, up 1.57 percent. Alpha Bank also ranked among the session’s gainers, climbing 1.73 percent to 18.78 euros. OTE telecom added 1.53 percent to 13.30 euros after sliding more than 4 percent on Monday. Losers outnumbered gainers 100 to 94 with 77 shares unchanged. Turnover rose to 165.2 million euros from 132 million euros in the previous session.