Small-caps and banks lead rise
Investors focused once again on banks yesterday, pulling most stocks higher during a somewhat sleepy session, as turnover plummeted. The Athens Exchange (ATHEX) general index grew to 2,295.26 points, gaining 1.07 percent on Wednesday’s close. There was significant interest in small-caps, led by car importer Sfakianakis, which gained 19.86 percent after an announcement by the Environment Ministry of incentives to help consumers upgrade their cars. The blue chips with the biggest increases yesterday were those of EFG Eurobank (up 3.94 percent), Marfin Popular Bank (2.75 percent), National Bank (2.09 percent) and Bank of Cyprus (2.02 percent). Worst off were the stocks of Motor Oil (down 1.44 percent) and Hellenic Petroleum (1.26 percent). Turnover reached just 100.1 million euros, from 129.9 million euros on Wednesday.
