ATHEX: Mid-caps help index stay afloat

Mid- and small-caps on Wednesday served to maintain the upward trajectory of the Greek bourse benchmark, which completed its sixth consecutive session of expansion, albeit marginally, despite blue chips and bank stocks heading south.

The Athens Exchange (ATHEX) general index closed at 1,069.73 points, adding just 0.04% to Tuesday’s 1,069.32 points. The large-cap FTSE-25 index contracted 0.05% to end at 2,586.26 points, while mid-caps expanded 0.26%

The banks index conceded 0.54%, as Alpha dropped 1.67%, Piraeus parted with 1.12% and Eurobank eased 0.24%, although National advanced 0.50%. Helleniq Energy fell 1.82% and Autohellas lost 1.61%, just as GEK Terna grabbed 1.48% and Coca-Cola HBC collected 1.45%.

In total 47 stocks enjoyed gains, 42 recorded losses and 24 remained unchanged.

Turnover amounted to 58.2 million euros, down from Tuesday’s €86.1 million.

Thursday’s session will be the last for the week, in line with most European bourses, as ATHEX will remain closed for business on Friday and Monday.

In Nicosia, the Cyprus Stock Exchange general index decreased 1.08% to close at 105.64 points.