Index up 0.18 pct despite profit-taking
Equities ended 0.18 percent firmer yesterday as profit-taking after a two-session rebound trimmed early gains. Bottler Coca-Cola HBC (CCHBC) outperformed. «There’s still uncertainty in international markets with the threat of war in Iraq, and this prompted investors to take profits,» said a broker. Among the day’s big winners was CCHBC, which rose 2.63 percent to 14.82 euros, bringing its gains in the last four sessions to nearly 10 percent. The Athens benchmark general index ended at 1,882.93 points, finishing the week 3.74 points lower. «We saw some window dressing ahead of the end of third quarter, and this is likely to continue Monday,» said Elias Athanasiou, analyst at Selas Investments. Telecoms eased 0.14 while index heavyweight OTE Telecom eased 0.17 percent to 11.62 euros. Blue chips on the FTSE/ASE-20 index added 0.09 percent to 952.15 points. Mid-caps firmed 0.66 percent and small-caps gained 0.23 percent. (Reuters)
