ATHEX: Bourse turnover hits 15-year high
The sale of a 22% stake in National Bank that went through the stock market on Friday sent turnover soaring above 1 billion euros for the first time in over 15 years. As many investors were trying to seek out any share in National available to acquire, the rest of the banking sector and the local bourse in general also benefited, with the benchmark climbing above the 1,250-point mark at the end of a week that saw gains on all five days.
The Athens Exchange (ATHEX) general index closed at a two-month high at 1,250.44 points, adding 0.89% to Thursday’s 1,239.39 points. On a weekly basis it advanced 3.94%.
The large-cap FTSE-25 index expanded 1.19%, ending at 3,048.64 points, and the banks index grew 3.79%, on National soaring 5.88%, Eurobank grabbing 4.38%, Piraeus earning 2.28% and Alpha collecting 1.92%.
In total 64 stocks obtained gains, 38 suffered losses and 21 remained unchanged.
Turnover amounted to €1.106 billion. On Thursday it had come to €84.7 million.
In Nicosia, the general index of the Cyprus Stock Exchange increased 0.31% to close at 127 points.
