Debt woes to set mood in equities
Investors on the Athens bourse will be looking for clues as to whether the European Union will help Greece manage its debt crisis with specific measures after its show of political support last week. A rescue program for Greece may help ease market concerns over the possibility of the government declaring bankruptcy or continuing to borrow money from markets as well as boost sentiment on the equity market. Greek bank shares have been targeted in recent selling pressure, with National Bank shedding 27 percent over the last month. On Friday, the Athens bourse’s benchmark general index fell 2.11 percent to 1,899.42 points. European stock markets won some respite yesterday ahead of a meeting of eurozone finance ministers in Brussels. The FTSE 100 index of leading British shares added 0.5 percent, while Germany’s DAX rose 0.2 percent. The CAC 40 in France moved 0.3 percent higher.