FTSE

The Greek stock market reacted after four consecutive sessions of decline to post significant gains on Tuesday, and on notable trading volume too. Traders appear to have taken for granted that DBRS Morningstar will this Friday restore Greece's investment grade rating, and if that does not materialize the bourse will likely take a nosedive as of Monday.

Stocks at Athinon Avenue took a big blow on Monday, as sellers took the upper hand after the first few minutes of the session and proceeded with increasing fervor till the end of the day.

September began at Athinon Avenue with concerns expressed by traders after the first hour related to the global economy and the fear of stagflation. That led the benchmark to losses of almost 1% and a drop below the 1,300-point mark on Friday.

Local stocks ended a nother profitable month at the Greek bourse, as July saw gains of 4.45% to the benchmark at Athinon Avenue following a session of slight growth for the majority of stocks on Monday. As banks' second-quarter results started flowing in, non-bank blue chips stole the show, with Mytilineos reaching a new all-time high.

Traders cashed in some of the week's gains on Friday ahead of the announcement of the first-half results by the systemic banks that should shape the new week. The day's decline reversed the weekly gains into losses, while the market had already priced in the favorable stress test results of the systemic banks, announced after the conclusion of the session.

The vast majority of Greek stocks ended Thursday's trading session with gains, but some non-bank blue chips held the benchmark back from hitting a new nine-year high and the 1,350-point level, which remains elusive for now. The positive messages from the US Fed and the European Central Bank create a favorable climate for further price growth in the coming days, analysts note.

The Athens bourse reverted to its rising course with renewed strength on Tuesday, as the benchmark of the market climbed to highs unseen since early April 2014 thanks to the positioning of several investors in local companies ahead of Greece's much-anticipated credit rating upgrade. Still, the main index stopped short of the 1,350-point mark, closing three points off the mid-session high.

Concerns over Greek tourism, given the forest fires on Rhodes and Corfu, put an end to the rising streak of the Athens stock market on Monday, with the indexes suffering small losses and the losing stocks outnumbering the gainers, on reduced turnover too. Still, Aegean Airlines recorded a new historic high on the day.

A number of energy and industrial blue chips kept the Greek stock market benchmark on a positive course on Friday, in the face of the decline of the majority of stocks and the banks index. The main index ended the week at another nine-year high through its marginal growth, which revealed fatigue on the part of traders and the resilience of some index-heavy stocks. 

Thursday was another positive day for the Greek stock market, albeit on rather weak turnover. The benchmark at Athinon Avenue climbed to yet another nine-year high, this time boosted mainly by mid-caps as investors seek opportunities in underpriced stocks.