Coca - Cola HBC

The stocks of banks and Coca-Cola HBC lost ground on Thursday, inflicting losses on the benchmark as the market appears reluctant to head higher without any significant developments that would trigger the final push to the main index's 1,000-point mark.

Redemption came right at the end of the session for the benchmark of the Greek bourse on Thursday, as the closing auctions reversed the day's losses for the blue chip index, though not for banks or the majority of stocks.

The positive views on the Greek economy and its banks by various foreign firms, including rating agency DBRS Morningstar, continue to feed traders' buying interest, which is also trickling down to mid- and small-caps. This carried the benchmark through to another day of growth on Wednesday, on higher trading volume too thanks to a number of packages that changed hands.

After hovering around Friday's closing level for most of the trading session on Monday, the stock benchmark at Athinon Avenue slipped below 920 points in the last hour-and-a-half, with blue chips such as banks experiencing selling action in the late afternoon.

The rise of Coca-Cola HBC's stock by 1.95 percent on Friday contained the Greek benchmark's losses somewhat and kept the blue chip index above water at the end of a week of small gains for the local market.

The Athens Exchange (ATHEX) general index ended at 923.63 points, shedding 0.26 percent from Thursday's 926.06 points. On a weekly basis it improved 0.38 percent.

The geopolitical situation in the Middle East took a toll on global markets on Friday, and the Greek bourse was no exception. The main index at Athinon Avenue contained its losses at the end of the session, coming off a decline of more than 2.2 percent over the course of the day.

On a day of pressure for Greek stocks and bonds, the benchmark of the local bourse came away from Thursday's session relatively unscathed, managing to remain above the 900-point mark, while the gainers and the losers ended up level.

The stocks of former state companies gave the main index of the Greek bourse a major push on Tuesday while the banks' index stayed put. The benchmark rebounded within range of the 900-point level, with daily turnover rising above 100 million euros.

The Greek bourse index came off a four-month high on Friday as traders cashed in some of this week's gains, European stock markets appeared reserved and Greek bond yields continued their ascent to top 1.50 percentage points.

The Greek stock market enjoyed a day of solid gains on Thursday, with banks and Coca-Cola recording considerable growth and trading volume confirming that Athinon Avenue enjoyed wider investor interest than usual. Thursday's growth added a remarkable 1.2 billion euros to the bourse's capitalization.