Athens Exchange

The Greek stock market began its first long weekend this month with the benchmark at a new 10-month high after Thursday's fresh gains following the Supreme Court's decision on loans issued in Swiss francs.

The decline of OTE telecom and profit taking in bank stocks saw the benchmark of the Greek bourse ease somewhat on Wednesday from Tuesday's nine-month highs, although the majority of stocks remained in the black for one more session. Reports on election handouts by the government did not help blue chips or bond prices, which also slipped from recent highs.

Unfazed by the decline in bank stocks, the benchmark of the Greek bourse not only held its ground on Tuesday but also climbed to a fresh nine-month high - a level not seen since June 25, 2018. The day started with losses across the board, but most stocks switched from losses to gains as the session went on.

Bloomberg reported on Monday that Greek securities have good momentum as traders buy into the prospect of a forthcoming election that will bring in a pro-business government, and the benchmark at the local bourse duly rose to a new nine-month high on a uniform advance by most blue chips.

The Greek bourse wrapped up another week of gains on Friday, with the benchmark at a nine-month high. Still, trading volume eased and the positive momentum appears to have slowed.

The Athens Exchange (ATHEX) general index ended at 765.67 points, adding 0.20 percent to Thursday's 764.13 points. It rose for a third consecutive week, by 1.49 percent.

The benchmark at Athinon Avenue climbed to a high unseen in almost nine months on Thursday thanks to the return of buyers and the continuing decline of yields on Greek sovereign bonds. A coalition of bank stocks and other blue chips helped the index to healthy gains on the highest daily turnover in the last 27 sessions.

The Greek stock market remained split between winners and losers on Wednesday, with blue chips enjoying a day of gains and mid-caps suffering mild losses while turnover remained at a satisfactory level. It appears the market is now awaiting Standard & Poor's verdict on Greece in 15 days' time.

Tuesday's session at the Greek bourse saw bank stocks record gains and mid-caps post losses. The benchmark ended slightly lower, with blue chips registering minimal growth and the majority of stocks ending in the red. Daily turnover was markedly improved on the start of the week.

The benchmark of the Greek bourse ended Monday's session close to last Friday's eight-month high as traders' efforts to cash in recent gains met the resistance of certain blue chips that refused to yield ground. This resulted in a mixed picture on the board, with gainers outnumbering losers at the end of trade.

The Greek bourse continues to go from strength to strength, with its benchmark recording another eight-month high on Friday, boosted by the performance of bank stocks as well as the continued drop of the yield on Greek state bond ahead of a possible new issue. The Eurogroup decision mattered little for traders, as they had already factored it in earlier in the week.