ATHEX: Half-hearted rebound fails to convince

Most of the Greek bourse's morning gains had evaporated by the end of Friday's session, with the benchmark covering only a quarter of the 10.61 percent loss it had suffered on Thursday. The comparatively low turnover indicates that many sellers were taking a break and will likely return next week.

The Athens Exchange (ATHEX) general index ended at 551.97 points, adding 2.49 percent to Thursday's 44-month low of 538.55 points. On a weekly basis it shrank 19.39 percent in this fourth consecutive week of losses.

The large-cap FTSE 25 index expanded 3.21 percent to 1,387.56 points, while small-caps contracted 0.15 percent.

Τhe banks index improved 6.35 percent, as Alpha earned 8 percent, Eurobank rose 7.04 percent, Piraeus increased 6.52 percent and National collected 2.27 percent.

In total 58 stocks enjoyed gains, 38 sustained losses and 22 remained...