Percentage

The benchmark of the Athens Stock Exchange (ATHEX) retreated on Thursday following a sell-off in banking shares.

The ATHEX general index ended at 754.65 points, down 0.45 percent from Wednesday's 758.04 points, recording an intraday low of 753.89 points.

Greek stocks rose slightly on the Athens Stock Exchange on Tuesday, remaining close to the 760-point level.

The ATHEX general index ended at 761.29 points, adding 0.22 percent to Monday's 759.63 points.

Turnover jumped to 51.6 million euros on large block trades in Hellenic Telecommunications Organization (OTE) shares.

The boost provided by Chinese stakeholder Fosun to the stock of Folli Follie, buying 750,000 shares, gave the Athens Exchange an early push on Wednesday, but most of the gains evaporated during the course of the session, leaving the benchmark at the day's low upon closing.

The benchmark of the Greek bourse ended April with a monthly rise of 9.96 percent, reaching highs that were unseen in the last three months. Monday's climb came with an increase in turnover and alongside the decline of the Greek bond yields.

Following the trend set by global markets since late on Tuesday, buyers in Athens took advantage of the benchmark's three-day decline on Wedneday, allowing Greek stocks to recover some lost ground. However, trading volume was considerably lower than in the last few sessions.

The stock market's board flashed green again on Thursday, as the benchmark rose above the 825-point mark after its 12th upward session in the last 14. The recovery of trading volume confirmed that the rising momentum is still strong.

The trading year at Athinon Avenue has ended with the benchmark growing by just under a quarter (24.66 percent) since the end of 2016, making the local bourse one of the most profitable markets in the world. The last session of 2017 on Friday saw a moderate rise for the main index, which cleared the 800-point level again, on slightly increased turnover.

The benchmark of the Greek bourse posted a decline for a third session in a row on Wednesday despite the slight rise of the banks index and the healthy gains of small-caps. The local market apparently does not share the optimism of debt traders who sent bond and treasury-bill yields even lower on Wednesday.

Greek stocks continued to slide for a fifth consecutive session on Friday (the first drop of such a long duration in 17 months), with the banks index slumping to its lowest point in eight months and blue chip Lamda Development also falling for a fifth straight session on concerns over Elliniko.

Another day of high volatility at the Greek stock market, following Tuesday's considerable ups and downs, saw the closing auctions decide that the majority of stocks would end up in the red on Wednesday, as did the bourse's benchmark.