The Greek stock market got the final push it needed on Friday to take its benchmark to its highest point in over 16 years, with a peace deal between Washington and Tehran looking closer than ever, and local banks feeling at their strongest point since the outbreak of the Greek debt crisis, also 16 years ago. Unlike other weekends, before which traders were more cautious, this time they appeared more confident and committed to purchases.
The Euronext Athens (ATHEX) general index closed at 2,421.69 points, the highest since December 2009, adding 1.06% to Thursday’s 2,396.37 points. On a weekly basis it advanced 2.80%.
The large-cap FTSE-25 index expanded 1.24%, ending at 6,155.07 points, though mid-caps contracted 0.74%. The banks index jumped 2.58%, as Eurobank rose 3.15%, Alpha gained 3.14%, Piraeus grew 3.08%, Optma climbed 2.54% and National obtained 2.19%.
In total, 70 stocks registered gains, 38 suffered losses and 14 remained unchanged.
Turnover amounted to €310.6 million, up from Thursday’s €234.2 million.
