OPAP, OTE likely to set market trend
Greek stocks may get the week off to a mixed start with betting company OPAP and OTE telecom likely to come under further selling pressure today. On Friday, the Athens bourse’s benchmark general index eased 0.66 percent to 2,162.65 points, falling 3.19 percent for the week. European stocks also fell on Friday on concern the global economic recovery will falter. OPAP plummeted more than 7 percent on Friday after the government upped taxes on gaming winnings mid-week, making OPAP’s games less attractive to punters, according to analysts. OTE telecom also lost ground as taxes levied on mobile phone usage were also raised. Additionally, shares in OTE telecom will trade ex-dividend today. The group is paying a dividend of 0.75 euros per share for 2008 earnings, translating into a pre-tax dividend yield of 6.14 percent.
