Bourse posts rise on choice stock-picking
Greek stocks rose nearly 1 percent yesterday on selective buying in blue chips as investors went bargain hunting, according to market experts. The Athens bourse’s benchmark general index, which has lost about 24 percent since the start of the year, added 0.98 percent to 1,678.42 points, supported by blue chip gains. The blue chip FTSE/ATHEX 20 index outperformed, advancing 1.39 percent to 811.84 points. Banks moved ahead 1.35 percent. National Bank added 3.76 percent to 11.05 euros while peer Alpha gained 2.18 percent to 4.94 euros. Piraeus Bank shed 2.05 percent to end at 4.78 euros. Betting group OPAP tumbled 3.99 percent to 12.77 euros. OTE telecom ranked among the winners, rising 4.27 percent to 8.30 euros. Construction group Ellaktor soared 7.05 percent to 3.19 euros and refinery Hellenic Petroleum jumped by 7.05 percent to 8.05 euros. Mid-caps (FTSE/ATHEX 40 index) inched ahead 0.15 percent and small-caps (FTSE/ATHEX 80) firmed 0.38 percent. Turnover reached 190.2 million euros versus 247 million in the previous session.`
