NBG and Alpha assist bourse rise
Late-session buying in banks helped push the Athens bourse higher yesterday, as Alpha and National outperformed. The Athens bourse’s benchmark general index rose 0.41 percent to 1,573.87 points. The blue chip FTSE/ATHEX 20 index advanced 0.46 percent to 754.19 points. Banks moved ahead 0.69 percent. National Bank gained 0.78 percent to 10.32 euros, advancing for the fifth straight session. Alpha Bank jumped 2.22 percent to 4.60 euros and Bank of Cyprus firmed 1.41 percent to 3.60 euros. Betting company OPAP was among the session’s big losers, dropping 3.71 percent to 11.16 euros. Lottery systems provider Intralot ended unchanged at 3.18 euros. Earlier in the day, financial services company UBS cut its price target on Intralot to 3.50 euros, from 3.75 euros. UBS has a neutral rating on the stock. Cement company Titan climbed 3.26 percent to 17.10 euros and Hellenic Exchanges ended at 4.75 euros, up 2.15 percent for the day. Jeweler Folli Follie dipped 1.50 percent to 17.70 euros and Eurobank slipped 1.77 percent to 4.45 euros. Turnover reached 84.9 million euros versus 127 million in the previous session.
