The upcoming deal for the acquisition by Piraeus Bank of 70% of Ethniki Insurance from the CVC fund for some 469 million euros brought fresh interest to the local stock market on Thursday. The bourse also welcomed back foreign funds that had temporarily fled due to fears of a trade war across the Atlantic. Investors currently appear to be shrugging off any concerns about domestic political stability.
The Athens Exchange (ATHEX) general index closed at the day’s highest point, at 1,544.49 points, adding 1.79% to Wednesday’s 1,517.35 points. The large-cap FTSE-25 index expanded 2.03%, ending at 3,763.26 points.
The banks index collected 2.13%, as Piraeus advanced 3.80%, Alpha fetched 2.38%, Eurobank earned 2.28%, National climbed 0.98% and Optima improved 0.76%. Coca-Cola HBC soared 3.74%, PPC augmented 3.49% and Titan Cement rose 3.46%.
In total 77 stocks made gains, 17 suffered losses and 26 remained unchanged.
Turnover amounted to €148.1 million, up from Wednesday’s €100 million.
In Nicosia, the general index of the Cyprus Stock Exchange decreased 0.28% to close at 223.66 points.