EU summit to set bourse tone
Trading on the Athens bourse today is likely to be determined by news from a European Union summit in Brussels as to how the bloc plans to handle the Greek crisis. News that the European Central Bank will leave emergency collateral rules in place next year may support gains for Greek bank stocks today. The benchmark general index added 0.78 percent to 2,062.94 points on Wednesday ahead of yesterday’s national holiday. The blue chip FTSE/ATHEX 20 index advanced 0.78 percent to end at 1,019.57 points. Coca-Cola Hellenic outperformed, soaring 4.80 percent to 20.98 euros. Marfin Investment Group also jumped 3.55 percent to 1.75 euros. In late afternoon trade yesterday, major European bourses were moving between between 1 and 1.5 percent higher.
