athens exchange

The pattern of one losing session in every six continued at the Athens bourse on Wednesday as the benchmark posted a small decline with the morning losses contained over the course of the day. The volatile session saw an increase in turnover above the 70-million-euro mark.

The Athens bourse benchmark chalked up fresh gains during the closing auctions on Tuesday, climbing close to a five-month high on what was its 15th northbound day in the last 17 sessions, since December 13. While banks had a balanced day, buyers' attention focused on mid- and small-caps.

A late rally in bank stocks reversed earlier losses on Monday for the credit sector and led the Greek bourse benchmark to another positive closing, albeit on relatively reduced trading volume.

Stocks in the Greek bourse continued their ascent on Friday, supported by the significant decline recorded in bond yields. The main index advanced for the 13th time in the last 15 sessions with total gains that exceed 12 percent.

The stock market's board flashed green again on Thursday, as the benchmark rose above the 825-point mark after its 12th upward session in the last 14. The recovery of trading volume confirmed that the rising momentum is still strong.

While traders on the Greek bourse chose to cash in on Tuesday's gains on Wednesday, the momentum of stock growth has not evaporated, as most of the losses were offset by the end of the session and the majority of stocks ended back in the green, albeit with a smaller turnover.

If its first session for the year is anything to go by, the Greek stock market can expect a great 2018, as its benchmark added 2 percent on Tuesday to its closing for 2017, reaching a new four-month high. Led by Piraeus Bank, the local bourse bucked the trend seen in the eurozone at the start of the year.

The trading year at Athinon Avenue has ended with the benchmark growing by just under a quarter (24.66 percent) since the end of 2016, making the local bourse one of the most profitable markets in the world. The last session of 2017 on Friday saw a moderate rise for the main index, which cleared the 800-point level again, on slightly increased turnover.

The benchmark of the Greek stock market continued its gravity-defying streak on Wednesday, climbing for the ninth session in a row at the start of the short week before year-end.

In its last session before the Christmas break, the benchmark of the Greek bourse topped 800 points in the closing auctions, on a day dominated by packages concerning stakes in National Bank, Eurobank and OTE.