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A Der Spiegel magazine report suggesting the International Monetary Fund plans to enter the Greek bailout program with up to 5 billion euros, offered a boost to Greek stocks at the end of the week, leading to significant gains across the board on the local bourse.

The Athens Exchange (ATHEX) general index closed at 639.46 points, adding 1.60 percent to Thursday's 629.36 points.

“There was an invisible hand because there are differences between the drafts – ‘Proto Thema’ is paying its loans, is a good customer of the banks, there is no evidence of mismanagement of its loans – The Themos Anastasiades case has nothing to do with what this Committee is investigating”

Traders showed on Monday they are not willing to make any major moves before Thursday's Eurogroup meeting, with stocks showing hardly any movement at the start of the week, and trading volume falling even lower than on previous days.

The slightly increased chances of an agreement between Athens and Greece's lenders, thanks to Eurostat figures and politicians' statements, was reflected in Tuesday's session at the local bourse, with moderate gains for the majority of stocks.

Expectations that the long and arduous negotiations between the Greek government and the country?s creditors may be nearing completion sent Greek stocks soaring on Wednesday, with the market?s benchmark finally passing 850 points and trading volume getting close to 100 million euros.

Bank stocks continued their decline on Thursday, but that was not enough to force more losses on the Athens bourse benchmark, which gained more than 1 percent thanks to the closing auctions in a rather indifferent market, as the constantly low trading volume reveals.

The honeymoon is over at the Greek bourse, as the satisfaction from the country?s deal with the eurozone appeared short-lived, with stocks falling for a second day on Thursday on news that the state is increasingly cash-starved and left-wing deputies are disputing the government?s policy.

Revelations about the major shortfall in December state revenues ? with a direct impact on the primary surplus ? and the cacophony of statements from election favorite SYRIZA candidates on the future of relations with the country?s creditors put an end on Wednesday to a series of gains for the Greek benchmark that had stretched to three sessions.

Non-banking chips led the local stock index to a significant recovery on Wednesday before the first vote for a new president took place, with traders buying into the optimistic scenario from the government camp that “it will be alright on the night” of the third vote on December 29.

Traders hardly batted an eyelid at the government’s positive result in the parliamentary vote for the budget, keeping most of their attention firmly fixed on developments on the troika front. Accordingly the Greek bourse saw little action, with the benchmark refusing to give any ground and remaining afloat for one more day on Monday.