ATHEX: Mild gains on cherry picking

The Athens stock market managed to remain on a rising course on Tuesday, on presentable trading volume, although stocks painted a mixed picture and the banks index headed lower. Traders were very selective, opting to cash in recent bank stock gains while buying into other blue chips and mid-caps.

The Athens Exchange (ATHEX) general index ended at 743.46 points, adding 0.33 percent to Monday’s 741.01 points. The large-cap FTSE-25 index expanded 0.30 percent to 1,924.53 points.

The banks index slipped 0.56 percent due to Alpha Bank’s 2.11 percent tumble and the 1.91 percent drop registered by Piraeus, while Eurobank increased 1.37 percent and National earned 0.37 percent.

GEK Terna jumped 5.15 percent, Sarantis climbed 2.10 percent and Viohalco grew 1.79 percent, as Aegean Air lost 2.32 percent.

In total 45 stocks reported gains, 44 sustained losses and 38 closed unchanged.

Turnover amounted to 65.1 million euros, down from Monday’s 76.6 million.

In Nicosia the Cyprus Stock Exchange advanced 0.74 percent to close at 65.68 points.