ATHEX: Index again fails to clear 900-point bar

Blue chips got off to a good start on Monday morning in Athens, but the bulk of those gains had evaporated by the end of trade and the majority of stocks ended up in negative territory.

The Athens Exchange (ATHEX) general index ended at 888.29 points, adding 0.34 percent to Friday's 885.24 points. The large-cap FTSE 25 index expanded 0.15 percent to 2,223.42 points, while the small-caps index contracted 0.29 percent.

The banks index earned 1.16 percent, with Piraeus growing 3.40 percent, Eurobank advancing 1.68 percent, National collecting 1.06 percent and Alpha taking 0.05 percent. Fourlis Holdings grabbed 1.65 percent and ADMIE Holdings gave up 1.58 percent.

In total 45 stocks enjoyed gains, 63 suffered losses and 24 remained unchanged.

Turnover amounted to 88.8 million euros, up from last Friday's 71.2 million, mostly due to the three prearranged...