Stocks flat; OTE, construction firmer
Stocks ended flat yesterday in low-volume muted trade, with weakness in banks offset by gains in index heavyweight OTE Telecom. Turnover eased to 47.64 million euros from 73 million on Friday. OTE rose 0.98 percent to 12.38 euros, bucking the trend among European peers. The Athens benchmark general index ended off 0.01 percent at 1,819.54 points after drifting in a 14-point trading range. «The market is moving without direction and this looks set to continue until we see a persistent trend in foreign markets,» said an Artion Securities analyst. Blue chips on the bourse’s FTSE/ASE-20 index added 0.29 percent to 908.14 points. Mid-caps firmed 0.39 percent, while small-caps gained 0.66 percent. Construction stocks added 1.05 percent, but Hellenic Technodomiki eased 0.32 percent to 6.18 euros. Winners beat losers 169 to 125, with 62 shares unchanged on 356 traded. (Reuters)
