Index

The positive momentum from the Eurogroup decision on Monday to see the creditors' representatives return to Athens next week carried Greek stocks higher on Tuesday, although the closing prices were significantly below their mid-session highs.

The Athens Exchange (ATHEX) general index closed at 655.20 points, adding 1.43 percent to Monday's 645.95 points.

The positive momentum from the Eurogroup decision on Monday to see the creditors' representatives return to Athens next week carried Greek stocks higher on Tuesday, although the closing prices were significantly below their mid-session highs.

The Athens Exchange (ATHEX) general index closed at 655.20 points, adding 1.43 percent to Monday's 645.95 points.

Traders were clearly feeling optimistic about Monday's Eurogroup and the upcoming resumption of negotiations during the week's first bourse session at Athinon Avenue, giving bank stocks a respectable push, while the rest of the market remained split between winners and losers.

A Der Spiegel magazine report suggesting the International Monetary Fund plans to enter the Greek bailout program with up to 5 billion euros, offered a boost to Greek stocks at the end of the week, leading to significant gains across the board on the local bourse.

The Athens Exchange (ATHEX) general index closed at 639.46 points, adding 1.60 percent to Thursday's 629.36 points.

A quiet day on the Greek bourse on Thursday left a mixed picture among stocks with the lowest trading volume of the last eight sessions.

Bank stocks and PPC led Wednesday's price slump in the Greek stock market, though the fears of a continued deadlock in talks between Athens and its creditors through spring were somewhat contained by statements from European Commissioner Pierre Moscovici in Athens. This led to a stop-loss move in the last hour of trading, but market concerns remain.

Alpha, the Greek stock market's best performing bank in the last 12 months, led blue chips and the bourse benchmark to a third day of gains on Tuesday, although the second bailout review's eagerly awaited conclusion did not get any closer.

The Greek stock market is clearly reflecting investor anticipation of a positive outcome to the bailout review talks in the coming days, as it made additional gains on Monday to the significant jump recorded on Friday.

The prospect of an agreement between Athens and its creditors in Brussels on Friday fueled stock prices at Athinon Avenue and went some way toward dispelling the sense of despair that had culminated on Thursday. Bank investors finally had something positive to act on, leading the credit sector stocks to a rise of 6.61 percent. However, it wasn't enough to offset all of the week's losses.

Greek stocks pared early losses toward the end of Thursday's session, but it remained clear that investors were holding back for concrete news about the second bailout review.