Sarantis

After a session of ups and downs, buyers retained the upper hand in the closing auctions at the Greek stock market on Friday and pushed the benchmark into the black after three consecutive days of losses.

The Athens Exchange (ATHEX) general index ended at 646.80 points, adding 0.29% to Thursday's 644.90 points. On a weekly basis it declined 5.36%.

Traders had appeared set to cash in recent stock gains at Athinon Avenue on Thursday, but the European Central Bank's announcement that assistance for eurozone member-states would be boosted contained the drop in prices, while the mid-cap index went up.

The various channels of liquidity that central banks the world over are offering to markets have boosted prices on the majority of international bourses. Athinon Avenue happily rode the buyers' wave on Tuesday, with interest focusing almost exclusively on blue chips.

The majority of stock prices recovered from early lows on Wednesday to end the session with gains. However, banks failed to stage a recovery, as buyers appeared more interested in specific blue chips outside the credit sector, such as energy stocks. 

Bank stocks came under fresh pressure on Thursday, with the benchmark yielding more ground at the close despite spending some time in the black during the day. Global pessimism regarding the economy and the World Health Organization's statement that the coronavirus may never go away weighed on most markets, with Athinon Avenue proving to be no exception.

The Greek bourse saw another mixed session with limited action on Tuesday, as turnover showed some improvement and the benchmark stayed afloat without managing to get a firm grip on the 600-point level it had reached during the day.

Traders' reaction on Tuesday to two sessions of significant losses for stocks was encouraging for the benchmark and blue chips, but rather disappointing in terms of turnover. The market appears to be waiting for Moody's verdict on the economy on Friday.

Increasing pessimism on the coronavirus pandemic's impact on the economy weighed heavily on most blue chips at Athinon Avenue on Monday, including banks, with the benchmark only just remaining above the 600-point level. Prices also suffered pressure from some negative results issued by listed companies over the last few days.

Bank stocks continued their advance at Athinon Avenue on Wednesday, carrying the market's benchmark to a new two-month high, although the low turnover pointed to traders waiting to see how the pandemic will evolve. Stocks were split down the middle between winners and losers.

The slowdown in the onslaught of the coronavirus in Greece and the rest of Europe, according to the statistics of the last few days, and the hopes for a rebound at the oversold Greek market sent stocks soaring at Athinon Avenue on Monday by the highest daily rate recorded since 2015.