ATHEX: Recovery of banks keeps index afloat

The continued recovery of bank stocks proved enough to keep the benchmark afloat in what was otherwise a day of losses for the majority of stocks at the start of the week. Monday's session picked up from where Friday's had left off, with many blue chips and most mid-caps ending in the red, although trading volume was significantly lower.

The Athens Exchange (ATHEX) general index ended at 682.75 points, adding 0.16 percent to Friday's 681.69 points. The large-cap FTSE-25 index expanded 0.26 percent to 1,800.50 points, while the mid-cap index contracted 0.91 percent.

The banks index jumped 3.16 percent, as Piraeus soared 6.11 percent, Alpha climbed 3.37 percent, Eurobank improved 2.73 percent and National was up 1.66 percent.

Athens Water (EYDAP) shrank 3.41 percent, Mytilineos conceded 2.54 percent, Fourlis declined 2.37 percent and Aegean Air gave up 1.93 percent....