OPAP

The benchmark of the Greek stock market had to drop close to the 1,400-point mark on Thursday to rebound on Friday, and it did so quite convincingly.

After a disappointing August, this month started with very positive action at the Greek stock market on Monday. Despite the holiday in the US (Labor Day), there were enough sellers to push the benchmark at Athinon Avenue higher, with satisfactory turnover in the aftermath of last Friday's index rebalancing action. Rising stocks outnumbered decliners by two to one.

The first half of the year could be the most profitable for firms listed on the Athens Stock Exchange, based on published results so far.

The 24 listed firms that have published their results, and which represent 62% of the market's total capitalization, show an 18% rise in operating profits and 15% in net profits, compared to the first half of 2023.

The Greek stock market experienced a new downturn following a similar movement at the end of the previous week. The initial rise to around 1,440 points was followed by a shift in investor sentiment, with Athens failing to align with the positive mood of European markets. However, the losses did not cause concern as the support level at 1,430 points remained intact.

The Athens Stock Exchange resumed its decline Thursday after a two-session rebound from Monday's mini-crash.

In this, it followed global markets, as investors wonder whether the stock sell-off will continue.

But good news from the US, in the form of better-than-expected unemployment figures, helped stem the fall a little before the ATHEX's closing.

Sellers regained the reins of the domestic market, as part of consolidating some of the gains from the two-day upward reaction on August 6-7, following the -6.27% “Black Monday” (August 5).

Tuesday's mixed session on the bourse showed a lack of clear direction in the market, with banks heading lower, mid-caps closing higher and the benchmark as well as the blue chip index ending up practically unchanged. That sufficed to make it five days in a row for the benchmark's growth, a performance not seen in three months at Athinon Avenue.

The Greek stock market saw its decline from Tuesday accelerate on Wednesday, with banks and several other blue chips bringing the bourse's benchmark close to the 1,400-point level. Uncertainty both domestically - as described by the Monetary Policy Report of the Bank of Greece - and abroad with the elections in France and the UK in the next few days are adding to traders' reluctance to buy.

Thursday offered investors another bank-centered decline for stocks, which came with a drop in turnover too. The benchmark at Athinon Avenue took significant losses and even closed at the day's low, pointing to a trend for a further drop on Friday morning at least. Observers say the market is waiting for the sale of blue chip Terna Energy to unleash some liquidity.

The Greek bourse recovered on Monday from its week of losses to show some healthy gains for the majority of stocks and the benchmark at Athinon Avenue on a day with significantly reduced turnover, the lowest in a week. The question now is whether this rebound can be sustained, as the summer with the biggest corporate dividends in a decade has started.