ATHEX: Stocks paint mixed picture at start of week

The benchmark of the Greek bourse ended Monday's session close to last Friday's eight-month high as traders' efforts to cash in recent gains met the resistance of certain blue chips that refused to yield ground. This resulted in a mixed picture on the board, with gainers outnumbering losers at the end of trade.

The Athens Exchange (ATHEX) general index ended at 753.58 points, slipping 0.11 percent to Thursday's 754.42 points. The large-cap FTSE-25 index contracted 0.27 percent to 1,929.58 points, while small-caps expanded 0.90 percent.

The banks index shrank 0.49 percent, as Eurobank fell 1.88 percent and National dropped 1.85 percent, while Piraeus jumped 4.05 percent and Alpha edged up 0.07 percent.

Piraeus Port Authority improved 3.57 percent, Public Power Corporation earned 3.13 percent and Hellenic Exchanges rose 2.09 percent. Grivalia Properties eased 1...