Stocks rally to 7-month high
The Athens bourse advanced yesterday to a seven-month high as banks charged ahead nearly 7 percent. The Athens bourse’s benchmark general index gained 3.80 percent to 2,253.73 points, outpacing gains in other European markets. The blue chip FTSE/ATHEX 20 index advanced 4.75 percent to 1,173.44 points led by banks, which ended 6.94 percent higher. National Bank shot up 7.39 percent to 18.60 euros and Bank of Cyprus soared 10.24 percent to 4.52 euros. Alpha Bank, the country’s third-largest lender, added 6.09 percent to 8.54 euros. Betting company OPAP firmed 0.28 percent to 21.46 euros and OTE telecom gained 3.26 percent to 11.40 euros. Turnover rose to 300.3 million euros from 155.4 million in the previous session.
