ATHEX: Stock slide continued ahead of March triple witching hour

Greek stock prices continued to decline for a second day on Thursday in anticipation of the outcome of the European Union summit on migration and ahead of a very interesting session on Friday, when the March triple witching hour comes on the same day as the rebalancing of the FTSE index.

The Athens Exchange (ATHEX) general index closed at 567.24 points, shedding 0.79 percent from Wednesday’s 571.73 points. The large-cap FTSE 25 index contracted 0.86 percent to end at 155.56 points while small-caps expanded 0.19 percent.

The banks index gave up 3.21 percent, as a late selling spree saw Alpha close down 6.15 percent while Eurobank ended 3.96 percent lower. National was unchanged and Piraeus Bank advanced 1.13 percent.

Folli Follie outperformed with growth of 3.03 percent and Lamda Development shrank 3.60 percent.

In total 44 stocks recorded gains, 48 sustained losses and 25 closed unchanged.

Turnover amounted to 67.3 million euros, down from Wednesday’s 79 million.

In Nicosia the general index of the Cyprus Stock Exchange declined 1.38 percent to 68.44 points.