Bourse retreats; mid-caps rise
The Athens Exchange’s benchmark general index retreated 0.37 percent yesterday to 3,243.99 points with mid-cap shares outperforming the market as a whole. The FTSE/ATHEX 20 blue chip index shed 0.61 percent, while the FTSE/ATHEX 40 mid-cap index gained 0.13 percent. Alpha Bank, Greece’s third largest lender, lost 2.62 percent to 17.86 euros after reporting expected first-half earnings late on Tuesday. Brokers said selling pressure rose on the share due to Alpha Bank’s weak performance in fee income for the first half of the year and increased impairment charges. National Bank, scheduled to report first half numbers today, dropped 1.27 percent to 27.94 euros. Turnover reached 138.5 million euros versus 120 million euros previously.
