Index posts rise thanks to banks
Stocks in Athens posted moderate gains yesterday in line with optimism on European markets about the outcome of the US crisis bailout scheme. The Athens Exchange (ATHEX) general index closed at 3,070.40 points yesterday, inching up 0.25 percent from Wednesday. The blue chip FTSE/ATHEX 20 index gained 0.41 percent to end the day at 1,688.94 points. However, the mid-cap FTSE/ATHEX 40 index posted losses of 0.43 percent. Banks led rising blue chips, with National increasing by 3.02 percent, Piraeus gaining 2.77 percent and EFG Eurobank growing by 2 percent. The OPAP gaming company also rose by 1.35 percent. The worst losses were sustained by the stocks of Titan cement (down 4.83 percent), Bank of Cyprus (4.09 percent) and Public Power Corporation (3.03 percent). Turnover came to 244.4 million euros.
