ATHEX: Late selling sends bourse index lower

Much as buyers hoped to see stock prices recover on Wednesday after Tuesday’s decline, sellers regained the upper hand toward the end of the trading session at Athinon Avenue to inflict further losses on the vast majority of stocks, with construction companies taking quite a beating.

The Athens Exchange (ATHEX) general index ended at 622.34 points, shedding 0.37% from Tuesday’s 624.62 points. The large-cap FTSE 25 index contracted 0.41% to 1,484.05 points.

The banks index actually edged up 0.05%, with National improving 1.85% and Piraeus rising 1.76%, while Alpha dropped 1.34% and Eurobank shrank 0.58%.

Coca-Cola HBC increased 2.03%, Hellenic Petroleum advanced 1.68%, Sarantis earned 1.53% and Aegean Air grabbed 1.35%.

OTE telecom gave up 2.54%, Athens Water (EYDAP) slid 2.17%, Terna Energy eased 1.96%, GEK Terna conceded 1.43% and Lamda Development parted with 1.40%.

In total 30 stocks posted gains, 59 sustained losses and 15 remained unchanged.

Turnover amounted to 44.8 million euros, down from Tuesday’s €46.7 million.

In Nicosia, the general index of the Cyprus Stock Exchange declined 0.31% to 44.48 points.