Upbeat banks drive index 1.59 pct higher
Strong gains in banks lifted equities 1.59 percent yesterday after a series of better-than-expected first-half results from National Bank and Eurobank. National’s shares gained 2.33 percent to 18.48 euros while Eurobank’s gained 2.38 percent to 13.74 euros. The banking index advanced 2.45 percent. Brokers said the upbeat mood in banks spilled over to the rest of the market and sparked buying interest, particularly in blue chips. Among the big winners of the day was Attica Bank, which soared 6.39 percent to 5.66 euros after reporting a 29-percent drop in first-half group pretax profit after minorities to 9.3 million euros. The benchmark general index rose 1.59 percent to 2,127.12 points. Blue chips on the FTSE/ASE-20 index rose 1.83 percent to 1,090.34 points. Mid-caps gained 1.23 percent with small-caps trading 1.47 percent higher. Winners beat losers 224 to 79 while 59 shares were unchanged on 362 traded. Turnover was 66.32 million euros on volume of 12.7 million shares. (Reuters)
