ATHEX: Stocks keep edging up at Athinon Ave

Non-banking blue chips stole the show at the Greek bourse on Wednesday, leading the benchmark higher after a mixed session that left banks and mid-caps marginally in the red. 

The brewing merger and acquisition agreements reversed early losses for the main index and pointed the way the market wants to go in the coming weeks, possibly testing the waters close to the 1,000-point psychological milestone.

The Athens Exchange (ATHEX) general index closed at 923.63 points, adding 0.34% to Tuesday’s 920.53 points. The large-cap FTSE-25 index expanded 0.57% to end up at 2,242.86 points, though the mid-cap index slipped 0.06%

The banks index eased 0.03%, as Piraeus fell 1.58% and Alpha lost 0.49%, while National earned 1.03% and Eurobank fetched 0.10%.

Jumbo soared 6.24%, Motor Oil grew 2.52% and Mytilineos grabbed 2.41%.

In total 50 stocks secured gains, 45 registered losses and 26 remained unchanged.

Turnover amounted to 56.7 million euros, down from Tuesday’s €61.3 million.

In Nicosia, the general index of the Cyprus Stock Exchange decreased 0.65% to close at 89.01 points.