Index rebounds but gains drop
Stocks rebounded yesterday after three declining sessions, although most were unable to maintain the high gains registered in mid-session as news of recession in the eurozone filtered through. The Athens Exchange (ATHEX) general index closed at 2,007.09 points on Friday, growing by 1.38 percent from the day before, despite temporarily rising by up to 4.25 percent during the day. The blue chip FTSE/ATHEX 20 index expanded by 1.28 percent to end at 1,063.97 points. The biggest gainers among blue chips were Viohalco (up 8.20 percent), Titan Cement (5.79 percent), Intralot (3.90 percent), Bank of Cyprus (3.59 percent) and National Bank (3.56 percent). Heading southward were the stocks of Alpha Bank (down 2.31 percent), Marfin Popular Bank (0.87 percent) and OPAP (0.70 percent). Turnover contracted further to reach 166.5 million euros.