Eurobank

The main index at Athinon Avenue came off its eight-year peak on Thursday with a significant drop that bore the marks of profit-taking, but with a significant trading volume that showed interest remains considerable in the local bourse. This was only the second session of decline for the benchmark of the local stock market since the start of the year.

The constant march higher of Greek stocks continued on Wednesday, on a considerably increased turnover thanks to a number of business deals that not only increased the trading volume but also further fed the optimism among investors for medium-term gains. More than half of the day's turnover took place during the closing auctions.

Greek stocks maintained their growth momentum for another day on Tuesday, despite the attention the issue of the 10-year sovereign bond commanded, with the main index climbing to another eight-year high. Even when European bourses headed lower and some traders indulged in profit-taking, buyers retained the upper hand, with the benchmark edging ever closer to 1,000 points.

The benchmark at the Greek stock market soared to levels unseen in over eight years on Monday, as despite the US holiday traders showed considerable buying interest in local stocks. A number of market deals and the consensus that Greece will outperform the eurozone in growth terms this year appear to have attracted investors on a permanent basis.

After a mixed session that saw construction firms and banks defy the trend which saw most stocks heading lower and closing with losses, the benchmark ended the day on Thursday with negligible gains that sufficed to record yet another 11-month high. This was the eighth session of gains out of the last nine for the main index at Athinon Avenue.

Investing in Cypriot banks is becoming increasingly common. 

The progress they have made in terms of the nonperforming loan burden they have shed, their capital adequacy, which is characterized as good, the profits expected as interest rates rise, and the cost cuts they have implemented have transformed them into an appealing investment target.

Wednesday saw the benchmark of the Greek stock market register a new 11-month high on moderate daily gains that changed the earlier picture of negligible losses in a session of rather shallow trade at Athinon Avenue. 

The main index was able to turn the tables in the closing auctions, with rising stocks narrowly edging out the losers.

The benchmark of the Greek stock market may have seen its rising streak snap on Tuesday, but that was only marginally, as its decline was negligible and the overall course appears unchanged, despite the minor profit taking on the day. The maintenance of turnover at a relatively high level also bodes well for the next few sessions.

The outlook for Greece's sovereign credit rating to return to investment grade and the 50-million-euro package of Mytilineos shares that changed hands on Monday gave a fresh boost to the Greek stock market at the beginning of the week, with its benchmark climbing to highs unseen in almost 11 months. This was the sixth consecutive session of gains for the bourse.

The Greek stock market completed an entire week of growth, as Thursday's session was the fifth in succession with the benchmark in the black, climbing this time above the 950-point mark, only to illustrate to observers that the only way is up for the local bourse these days.