Investors watch for market jitters
The Athens bourse could be headed for more volatile trade this week, as Greece’s fiscal woes have appeared to influence market sentiment over the last few sessions. Investor concern that the Greek government’s attempts to rein in the ballooning deficit will result in higher taxes and lower economic growth has, in turn, been weighing corporate profits. On Friday, the Athens benchmark general index added 0.71 percent to 2,383.62 points. On international markets, sentiment has been more upbeat in the final stretch in the year. Wall Street is seen as finishing off 2009 with new confidence that the worst of the economic crisis is over, setting up a positive environment for the market heading into 2010. The main US stock indexes notched gains in the week to Friday, buoyed by data indicating a sharp turnaround in the job market that provided hope of a sustained recovery from recession.
