Stocks end flat, telecoms continue winning run
Equities ended flat yesterday as profit-taking kicked in after the bourse’s two-session climb, dragging financials into the red. Telecoms extended their recent positive run, gaining 0.72 percent. «After Monday’s sudden gains, profit-taking was logical. I don’t think after a session like today we can make any firm conclusions, as the (market’s) direction is unclear. European bourses didn’t help,» said Nikos Gallousis, head of derivatives at Kappa Securities. The Athens benchmark general index firmed 0.02 percent to 2,419.99 points after reaching an intrasession high of 2433.91 points. Heavyweight OTE Telecom added 0.45 percent to 18.04 euros and cellular subsidiary CosmOTE gained 1.16 percent to 10.44 euros. The FTSE/ASE-20 index of blue chips shed 0.07 percent to 1,311.58 points. The FTSE/ASE-40 index of mid-caps fell 0.20 percent and small-caps on the FTSE/ASE-80 slipped 0.43 percent. Total turnover was 102.19 million euros on volume of 17.6 million shares. Losers beat winners 209 to 94, with 56 unchanged on 356 traded. (Reuters)
