ATHEX: Stocks adrift without sense of direction

Athinon Avenue had a mixed session on Wednesday, with the majority of stocks posting gains while several heavyweight blue chips headed lower, inflicting losses – albeit minimal – on the benchmark. Mid-caps, on the other hand, had a clearly positive day, tipping the balance of stocks in favor of winners.

The Athens Exchange (ATHEX) general index closed at 866.73 points, shedding 0.12% from Tuesday’s 867.80 points. The large-cap FTSE-25 index contracted 0.13%, ending at 2,081.22 points, but mid-caps expanded 0.62%.

The banks index declined 0.23%, with Piraeus giving up 1.65%, Alpha conceding 0.64% and Eurobank dropping 0.44%, while National advanced 1.12%.

Jumbo earned 3.75%, ElvalHalcor collected 2.34%, Sarantis improved 1.21% and Viohalco grew 1.01%, as Coca-Cola HBC parted with 3.34%, Terna Energy decreased 2.32% and Aegean Airlines eased 1.14%.

In total 60 stocks posted gains, 35 sustained losses and 23 remained unchanged.

Turnover amounted to 84 million euros, down from Tuesday’s €89.8 million.

In Nicosia, the general index of the Cyprus Stock Exchange increased 0.33% to 67.25 points.