Bourse unable to contain drop
Fresh pressures on Greek stocks have taken the bourse nearer the year’s low. The Athens Exchange (ATHEX) general index closed at 3,131.60 points yesterday, a drop of 2.55 percent from Wednesday. Blue chips led the free fall, with the FTSE/ATHEX 20 index contracting by 3.23 percent to 1,716.63 points. The local market seems unable to resist the negative international climate, posting greater losses than most other Western bourses. Lack of interest from local investors has left ATHEX index susceptible to the profiteering of foreign investors. The only blue chip to stay afloat yesterday was Public Power Corporation (up 0.63 percent), while the worst losses were for Bank of Cyprus (down 6.24 percent), National Bank (4.69 percent) and Piraeus Bank (4.50 percent). Turnover came to 255.3 million euros.
