Index rises 0.66 percent after inflation surprise
Equities rose 0.66 percent yesterday supported by a better-than-expected February inflation figure. «We saw gains as the broader market moved away from oversold levels and this was assisted by positive inflation news,» said Dimitris Skapinakis, head analyst at Marfin Hellenic Securities. Greece’s headline inflation in February dropped to 3.4 percent year-on-year from 4.4 percent in January, beating market expectations. OTE gained 1.70 percent to 17.94 euros and OTE subsidiary CosmOTE edged 0.76 percent higher to 10.66 euros. The Athens benchmark general index ended at the session high of 2,448.11 points. The bourse gained 3.4 percent or 82.09 points overall for the week. The FTSE/ASE-20 index of blue chips added 0.43 percent to 1,321.05 points and banks eased 0.06 percent. The FTSE/ASE-40 index of mid-caps added 0.56 percent and small-caps on the FTSE/ASE-80 gained 0.72 percent. Total turnover was 111.65 million euros on volume of 21.8 million shares. Winners beat losers 184 to 116, with 57 unchanged on 357 traded. (Reuters)
