Blue chips drag index lower
After a roller-coaster day on the bourse yesterday, most stocks posted gains but the general index ended with small losses, as several blue chips moved southward. The Athens Exchange (ATHEX) general index closed at 2,221.02 points, dropping by 20.38 percent. The blue chip FTSE/ATHEX 20 index shrank by 0.67 percent to end at 1,197.18 points, while the mid-cap FTSE/ATHEX 40 index gained 0.97 percent. Outperforming other blue chips were Hellenic Postbank (up 8.48 percent), Intralot (7.66 percent) and Viohalco (2.60 percent), while the biggest losses were for Motor Oil (down 5.39 percent), National Bank (4.32 percent) and Marfin Popular Bank (2.80 percent). A 3.03 percent stake in OTE passed from the state to Deutsche Telekom at the agreed price of 29 euros per share, totaling 431.1 million euros. Turnover reached 732.4 million euros.
