ATHEX: Buyers step in to keep index afloat

A late buying spree saved the day for the benchmark at Athinon Avenue on Tuesday after a weak effort to follow the growth posted by other markets in the eurozone very nearly failed to keep the main index in the black. Still, the mid-cap index and the majority of stocks ended up lower, in what was another session with turnover, although higher than the previous session, below 50 million euros.

The Athens Exchange (ATHEX) general index closed at 823.92 points, adding just 0.09% to Monday’s 823.18 points. The large-cap FTSE-25 index expanded 0.32%, ending at 1,984.14 points, while mid-caps contracted 0.38%.

The banks index came off an 11-month low to advance 0.36%, as Alpha grabbed 1.37%, National increased 1.05% and Piraeus earned 0.92%, though Eurobank declined 1.10%. Mytilineos rose 2.86% and Lamda Development grew 2.68%, as EYDAP gave up 3.49%.

In total 37 stocks registered gains, 62 suffered losses and 22 remained unchanged.

Turnover amounted to €47.2 million, up from Monday’s €40.3 million.

In Nicosia, the general index of the Cyprus Stock Exchange increased 0.55% to close at 69.54 points.