GEK Terna

The local stock market reacted positively on Monday after the government?s negotiating team was reshuffled ? in a move that appears to have sidelined the much-criticized Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis ? taking the benchmark close to 800 points in what was the fourth consecutive session of gains for most stocks.

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International rumors about a Greek eurozone exit and the bleak outlook of the country?s negotiations with its creditors sent local stocks even lower on Wednesday, with banks again bearing the brunt of the selling pressure.

The Greek bourse began the four-day recess having secured daily gains of 1.06 percent and a weekly rise of 0.61 percent, as the government asked its eurozone peers for cash while making it clear that Russia is not a solution to Greece?s financial problems. Thursday?s trading volume was the second lowest of the year.

The Athens stock market reopened on Tuesday after a four-day break, making moderate gains on particularly low turnover as traders are expecting the results of Wednesday?s Euro Working Group meeting as well as the outcome of the prime minister?s visit to Moscow.

The Athens Exchange (ATHEX) general index ended at 777.47 points, adding 0.80 percent to Thursday?s 771.32 points.

Economy Minister Giorgos Stathakis said on Wednesday he is in favor of public-private partnerships with more than one stakeholder for the privatization of the country?s infrastructure.

With the omens from the negotiations in Brussels being far from positive on Tuesday, the benchmark of the Greek stock market ended the month of March with losses of 11.93 percent, while banks declined by 24.69 percent. The banks index lost 41.53 percent in the first quarter of the year.

By Jonathan Stearns and Paul Tugwell

As dusk falls on the plains outside the northern Greek city of Thessaloniki, Georgios Plaitakis opens up the throttle of his diesel-powered passenger train and settles in for the nine-hour journey east to the frontier.