ATHEX: Losses offset by the end of bourse session

The closing auctions erased almost all of the earlier losses at the Greek bourse on Thursday, with the benchmark ending the day virtually unchanged and the blue chip index continuing its rise thanks to support from OTE and OPAP.

The Athens Exchange (ATHEX) general index ended at 713.66 points, shedding just 0.01 percent from Wednesday's 713.73 points. The large-cap FTSE-25 index expanded 0.41 percent, to 1,867.95 points, while the mid-cap index contracted 0.88 percent.

The banks index slipped 0.22 percent, just before the issue of the financial reports by Alpha and National on their 2018 performance. National lost 2.65 percent, Piraeus slipped 0.91 percent, Alpha stayed put and Eurobank advanced 1.40 percent.

OTE telecom grew 2.32 percent and the OPAP gaming company rose 2.03 percent to buoy up the FTSE-25, also with help from Jumbo (up 2.19 percent). Sarantis...