ATHEX: Stocks decline ahead of new MSCI indexes

As the market awaits the formal announcement of the new composition of the MSCI stock indexes on Tuesday, pressure on most blue chips - especially those in the credit sector - led the benchmark at Athinon Avenue lower on Monday, with turnover climbing above 50 million euros.

The Athens Exchange (ATHEX) general index ended at 635.20 points, shedding 1.28 percent from Friday's 643.42 points. The large-cap FTSE-25 index contracted 1.49 percent to 1,674.92 points, while the small-cap index expanded 0.95 percent.

The banks index gave up 4.58 percent, with Piraeus tumbling 6.59 percent, Eurobank sinking 5.56 percent, National slumping 5.17 percent and Alpha decreasing 3.36 percent.

There were also notable declines for Viohalco (down 3.45 percent), Fourlis Holdings (2.73 percent), OTE telecom (2.40 percent), Lamda Development (1.65 percent) and GEK Terna (1.47 percent)....

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