Privatisation hopes boost stocks

Stocks recovered strongly in the Athens Stock Exchange on Tuesday, helped by renewed hopes of the government accelerating an ambitious privatisation programme. Buying activity emerged last in the session reversing an earlier decline to new 14 year lows. The composite index of the market rose 1.25 pct to end at 1,346.87 points, with turnover remaining a low 66.972 million euros.
The Big Cap index jumped 2.04 pct, the Mid Cap index ended 0.78 pct lower and the Small Cap index rose 2.10 pct. Eurobank (6.56 pct), Alpha Bank (4.89 pct), National Bank (4.27 pct) and Hellenic Postbank (3.35 pct) were to gainers among blue chip stocks, while Ellaktor (3.07 pct), Coca-Cola 3E (1.53 pct) and Jumbo (1.70 pct) were top losers.

The Banks (3.82 pct), Chemicals (2.09 pct) and Oil (1.85 pct) sectors scored the biggest percentage gains of the day, while Commerce (2.45 pct) and Food (1.46 pct) suffered losses. Broadly, advancers led decliners by 77 to 55 with another 52 issues unchanged. Vovos (17.86 pct), Neorio (10 pct), Mohlos (10 pct) and Kloukinas-Lappas (9.86 pct) were top gainers, while Euromedica (12.5 pct), Lazaridis (10 pct) and G.E. Demetriou (10 pct) were top losers.

Sector indices ended as follows:
Insurance:  +1.75%
Industrials:  +0.69%
Commercial:  -2.45%
Construction:  -0.59%
Media:  +0.38%
Oil & Gas:  +1.85%
Personal & Household:  -1.17%
Raw Materials:  +1.29%
Travel & Leisure:  +1.56%
Technology:  +0.54%
Telecoms:  +1.16%
Banks:  +3.82%
Food & Beverages:  -1.46%
Health:  +0.08%
Utilities:  +0.05%
Chemicals:  +2.09%
Financial Services:  +1.32%

The stocks with the highest turnover were National Bank, OPAP, Alpha Bank and OTE.

Selected shares from the FTSE/ASE-20 index closed in euros as follows:
Alpha Bank:  3.65
ATEbank:  0.55
Public Power Corp (PPC):  10.41
HBC Coca Cola:  18.00
Hellenic Petroleum:  7.17
National Bank of Greece:  4.88
EFG Eurobank Ergasias:  3.41
OPAP:  13.50
OTE:  6.97
Bank of Piraeus:  1.03
Titan:  17.50