ATHEX: Bank drop is offset by Viohalco

Yet again the Greek bourse ditched its morning gains to dive into the red before recovering somewhat and emerging with some minor growth for the benchmark at Wednesday’s close. It was a fairly mixed session that saw banks close with losses for an 11th consecutive day, for the first time in over a decade. Volatility remains the main feature of a typically shallow market such as Athinon Avenue, which is easily swayed by even the slightest hope or fear.

The Athens Exchange (ATHEX) general index closed at 862.66 points, adding 0.21% to Tuesday’s 860.85 points. The large-cap FTSE-25 index contracted 0.18%, ending at 2,072.22 points, while mid-caps expanded 1.27%

The banks index conceded 1.02%, as Alpha sank 1.96%, National dropped 1.16% and Eurobank declined 0.84%, while Piraeus grew 1.05%. Viohalco soared 5.12%, Sarantis earned 2.99% and GEK Terna collected 1.84%.

In total 64 stocks posted gains, 34 reported losses and 18 remained unchanged. Turnover amounted to 85.8 million euros, down from Tuesday’s €103.2 million.

In Nicosia, the general index of the Cyprus Stock Exchange decreased 1.29% to close at 68.09 points.